Path to Kage
by Hiyuusha
Summary: In a world where ninja are unknown to the populace, Naruto Uzumaki runs from his past, content with his average civilian life in Nami no Kuni with his perverted godfather, Jiraiya. But when an attack leaves the Yondaime in a coma, will Naruto be able to become the leader that Konoha needs him to be? And more importantly, will he want to? Ninja don't fight in the open.
1. Target

Looking back, he didn't know what prompted him to do it.

But no matter how he felt about it now, the fact remained that he did.

And so, filled with confidence and the absolute belief that he could not fail, the boy had stepped in front of the girl, holding his arm out expectantly as he proclaimed his intention in front of the entire elementary school.

"Sakura-chan, go out with me!"

As expected, the crowd had gone wild.

"Eh?!"

"The dweeb and Forehead?!"

"No way, he confessed?"

"What does that idiot think he's doing?"

Sakura too, had only managed to widen her eyes in shock, her hand rising up to her chest as she gripped her shirt in light surprise and horror.

"Ah, Ah…." The pinkette whispered, her green eyes staring back into the expectant gaze of her friend, "I-I'm sorry… but that's not going to be possible…"

His eyes widened a fraction of an inch.

What?

She was rejecting him, and in front of the entire school no less? Certainly, he admitted the latter part was most definitely his fault, but-

Did their many years of friendship mean nothing to her?

His hand outstretched toward her ever so slightly, watching as she turned and ran off, muttering apologies over and over.

Already he could hear the amused sounds of the school.

"Eh? Really? She ran off?"

"Man, sucks for him. What does that idiot think he was doing, asking her out in front of everyone like this?"

"Serves him right!"

"Aren't they a little bit young to be dating anyway?"

He heard them all, but failed to comprehend. He was focused on far more important matters. Sakura Haruno, someone he was accustomed to seeing on a daily basis, had just run away from him. Things were bound to get awkward from that point on.

After all, rejection hurt.

Especially when it came from the one who was your best friend.

Luckily for him, he nor Sakura would see each other again for quite some time. By the next time they met, everything would have changed.

* * *

**NARUTO: Path to Kage**

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Target**

* * *

Blue eyes stared toward the ceiling of the room, a free hand running through his ruffled blonde hair as he loosed a disappointed sigh.

"Really…" he muttered, yawning before leaning up in his bed, "Why'd I dream of such an annoying memory on a Monday. Way to be Naruto, way to be."

Naruto Uzumaki. Age Sixteen. If you asked one of his classmates, he was just as average as the next guy.

This was only natural of course. He'd taken many precautions to have himself portrayed as such ever since moving in with his Godfather several years ago.

New home, new friends, new life.

That was the choice he had made.

A life away from violence….

It was a shame his parents didn't quite feel the same, but nonetheless, they let him do as he pleased. His life was his to live, or so they said.

Naruto yawned, shaking his head a few times before finally taking those first few steps out of bed. He didn't have any more time to waste thinking on _that_ particular situation. Glancing at his nearby alarm clock it was easy enough to tell he was running late as it was.

Groaning, he turned, rushing into the bathroom of his Godfather's home to get ready.

It would be another half hour before he came back out.

Again, he glanced at the clock.

7:45

Classes started at 8:00, and it was a half hour walk to the school as it was.

He'd be late.

Of course, that was if he walked as a _normal_ person.

Grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder in a hurry, Naruto rushed out the house, not even bothering to say goodbye to the drunken stupor of a godfather that was slouched over several women in the living room.

It wasn't likely he'd get a response at this time in the day anyway.

The sliding door slammed shut behind him as he tossed on his shoes and ran out into the street.

Naruto glanced to his right.

No one around.

And to the left…?

Little more than a few empty houses and wandering housecats, the same as it had always been.

Perfect.

Glancing upward, the blonde scanned the nearby rooftops, searching for the perfect landing spot. If he couldn't do make it to school on time as an _average_ human, then it was only natural for him to try as a shinobi instead.

Certainly, he never quite liked resorting to such tactics, as they only served to remind him of the life he'd turned away from as a child. But, despite that, he _absolutely_ couldn't be late! If he received even one more tardy, if he had one more slash by his name, then his teacher, Iruka-sensei would-

His eyes steeled themselves, a fierce determination to survive etching itself upon his very soul.

He couldn't worry about what _could_ happen right now, not when he could still work to prevent it. However, Naruto knew full well the risks that came with using the abilities of a shinobi in broad daylight. For starters, it was daylight. Even the most uneducated of beings knew that shinobi and sunlight did not mix. It went against everything they stood for, stealth, security… the sun left them exposed, with their tricks free for all to see.

And the blonde couldn't even begin to worry about what would happen if he got caught.

The mere existence of ninja was a highly guarded secret after all. Sure, there were tales of shinobi in legends and history, beings that fought in the shadows with disguises and tricks… but if word got out that there was an entire society of such beings living amongst the populace… that there was an entire other world filled with secrets and forces the average man couldn't even comprehend… it would be disastrous. As such, the revealing of such a thing came with the harshest punishment: Death.

But that couldn't concern the blonde at the moment.

He had been sure to scan the area, no one was around.

And so, as he planted his eyes on his target, the blonde bent down, preparing to use his highly honed senses and techniques to push off from the earth beneath him and-

"Naruto-nii-san!" the eager young voice of a high school freshman called out from beside the teen, the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps flourishing through the air and immediately grasping all of Naruto's attention.

The blonde squawked, snapping back to his feet in and instant before turning to face the voice. "I-Inari!"

"Hmm?" the young boy frowned, tilting his head curiously toward his boss while folding his arms in confusion. "What do you look so confused for? It's not like this is the first time I've come this way you know."

Naruto gathered his wits, sighing in relief inwardly as his heart began to slow down. He'd thought he'd been caught for sure. He smiled slightly, setting his eyes on the young boy in front of him.

Inari. The grandson of a self-proclaimed Master Bridge Builder. He had been one of the first people Naruto had run into upon arriving at his new home, and at some point in time had taken to calling the blonde his older brother. Naruto never quite understood why. It wasn't like he had really done anything to warrant such preferential treatment.

"Ah, nii-san is running late too then?" the boy wondered aloud, glancing at the blonde curiously as he awaited a response. His head tilted strangely after a few seconds of silence. "Wait, what were you doing?"

A steady bead of sweat dripped down the back of Naruto's head.

"_Of course Inari would be the one to notice something was strange."_ He thought with a sigh, quickly formulating a suitable response.

"Ah, nothing important. You know, just tying my shoe. You know how it is, right Inari? You have to tie them every once in a while or else they'll… get loose."

Certainly one of his lamer excuses.

"Oh. Okay then." Inari blinked.

"_He accepted it?!"_ Naruto thought furiously, his face slackening slightly.

"Anyway, it's good if you want to look presentable and all nii-san, but shouldn't we be more worried about getting to school? I mean…" Inari pulled back the sleeve on his uniform, revealing the watch beneath, "it's already 7:50."

The color drained from Naruto's face.

"7-7:50?! Idiot, why didn't you say so earlier?!" he spewed at his kouhai, turning and sprinting down the road towards the high school, "We're gonna be late!"

His eyes widening in shock, Inari too took off down the road, "Wait for me Naruto-nii!"

As they disappeared around the corner, neither noticed a pair of emerald green eyes watching them cautiously.

By the time they arrived, Naruto noticed that the silence could only mean one thing. They'd gotten there too late. Inari himself had begun to sweat bullets, bidding the boy a hasty farewell before sprinting towards the first-year classrooms. The blonde would have waved back, but he already had his own problems to deal with.

So he ran.

A storm swept through the empty hallways, nothing being seen but the fluttering black color of Naruto's coat. He ran, turning another corner with his eyes bolted wide open.

He was late.

The blonde sped up slightly, grateful for the fact that no one was around for him to bump into. He really didn't need another distraction. Konohamaru had already ruined his plan as it was.

"I can see it!" he exclaimed aloud, his eyes gleaming eagerly as his designated classroom finally came into view. "With this…" he murmured, grasping his hand around the handle and swooping the door open, "I've made it!"

Naruto was greeted by the sound of Iruka in the middle of a lecture, the entire conversation drawing to a halt as everyone turned to look at the blonde's announcement. His eye twitched in annoyance as he heard the class snicker, only to widen in shock when he saw the teacher slump down from his podium.

"Naruto…" the disappointed, eerie voice of Iruka murmured as he turned toward the blonde as if a creature from a horror story.

His eyes gleamed sinisterly.

"**YOU'RE LATE!"**

Naruto stumbled back from the force of the yell, much of the class themselves covering their ears and wincing. No one knew how it was possible, but Iruka always managed to release a voice so loud and destructive that one couldn't help but want to show up on time.

"I-Iruka-sensei," Naruto countered, "it wasn't my fault!"

"Oh?" the man sighed, folding his arms impatiently and looking upon the blonde expectantly, "Then what's the excuse this time?"

"I uh…" Naruto frowned, scratching the back of his head sheepishly as he thought up a line to use. "I… got lost on the road of life?"

The blonde could only cry out in pain as Iruka smashed him atop the head once for using such an idiotic excuse.

"Really Naruto, what am I gonna do with you? You've been late nearly every class!"

"Iruka-sensei, it's really not my-!"

"That's enough." Iruka sighed, "Take your seat."

Naruto grimaced, drooping his head down with a sigh before slumping toward the back of the room. He slouched into his chair, dropping his head down onto the desk as the voice of his "neighbor" chuckled lightly.

"Late again huh? Keep this up and you might get an award for being the only person to _never_ show up to class on time."

"Shut up, stupid Sora." Naruto grimaced, glaring at his fellow teen half-heartedly. "It's not like I try to be…"

"Well, have you ever tried, you know, setting your alarm clock?" the dark-haired boy laughed.

"Obviously." Naruto yawned, "Sleep through it. And it definitely doesn't help that recently I've been having-" he trailed off slightly, his eyes narrowing somewhat as Sora tilted his head curiously.

"Huh? What was it you were about to say there Naruto?"

The blonde sighed, waving his friend's concerns off. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Well, if you say so I guess." Sora shrugged, before giving the blonde a fiery grin, "But hey, have you taken a look at the girls today? With all the good weather lately, it seems like they've finally decided to start wearing their- Guh, Ack!"

Naruto blinked in confusion at the sudden sounds of pain. He turned his head slowly, only to see Sora's head reared back with white smoke rising from the center of his forehead. The blonde's head swiveled back to the front, where Iruka stood firm with his arm outstretched, chalk no longer in his hands.

"You two in the back there! Stop talking!"

Naruto sweat dropped. It looked like he'd be in for a rough day of lecture as usual. He buckled down, drooping his head back to the cool, supportive surface of his desk to drift off.

The exam was a long ways off anyway.

_-PtK-_

"…and that concludes today's lecture. Please be sure to do the homework as listed on the board. That means you, Sora." Iruka sighed one last time at the slight snickers amongst the class before gathering his notes and leaving the room.

It wouldn't be until several seconds later that the daily gossip finally broke out amongst the classroom.

"Man, that Iruka can be really hard sometimes!" Sora complained, tilting back in his seat and wrapping his arms back behind his neck relaxingly, "I don't think I understood any of what he was saying." He grinned, "Well, I guess that just means I'll have to work that much harder, right?"

"You'd probably have an easier time understanding if you just paid attention in class." Naruto retorted with a deadpan look, earning an affronted gaze from his friend.

"Eh? Like you're one to talk, dobe!" Sora frowned, pointing at the blonde accusingly.

Dobe.

Dead Last.

Loser.

It was a term Naruto knew well.

Naruto snorted. "I may be the dobe, but it isn't because of my grades. Remember Sora, I've still got the third highest grade in the class! Che, the only reason I was given that stupid nickname was because that annoying Ami noticed I'm always the last person in class… because I'm always late. Tch, Dead Last indeed."

"If it bothers you so much you could always just show up on time you know." Sora rebuked, earning a nonchalant wave from the blonde, "Ah, that reminds me, why _were_ you late anyway?"

Naruto stared at the boy beside him with a deadpan gleam in his eye. "Overslept, obviously."

"Again?! You need to get your alarm fixed, really."

"The alarm works fine. I just don't care for waking up to it." Naruto explained, "And even if I did, I'd still probably to find ways to be late you know."

Sora smiled lightly, tossing his books in his bag before standing from his desk. "Sure, sure… but Naruto," he eyed the blonde cautiously, "you may want to invest in a new hobby. Iruka-sensei won't let you off with easy all the time."

Rising from his own seat, Naruto again shrugged Sora off. "It's no big deal. Iruka-sensei isn't as mean as he seems. He really cares for his students you know, that's the only reason he makes such a fuss about my being late all the time. Besides, there shouldn't be a problem as long as I keep doing well on the tests, right?"

"Guess you've got a point there." Sora relented, leading him out the room into the crowded hallways. "So, you wanna hang out? I've still got a few hours before work so-"

"Ah, sorry, sorry." Naruto apologized, "But I've gotta head back early today. That worthless old godfather of mine had this meeting he's been planning for the last week, so I've gotta head home and find out what it's all about."

"Man, that drunken old pervert…?" Sora wondered, "Well, guess if you've gotta go you gotta go. Next time then?"

"Definitely, sorry about this, Sora!" Naruto apologized once more before turning to leave.

Sora shook his head and smiled, watching the blonde go.

"Really," he sighed, "you're making such a big deal out of things, Naruto."

He would watch the blonde disappear into the crowd before hearing himself be addressed by another of his friends, and turned, forgetting all about his friend for the time being.

They could hang out whenever after all.

_-Entrance Gate-_

Naruto yawned as he walked through the school courtyard, glancing at the road ahead of him. Many students walked the same path every day, and it wouldn't be until the final stretch that he'd find himself alone.

He eyed the many students laughing and hollering about with their friends, feeling not a small bit jealous of their own circumstances.

Why did he have to go to this stupid meeting thing? He doubted Jiraiya had anything important to tell him anyway. More than half the time he'd only end up going on and on about his latest porn novel, or about how his good friend Tsunade again rejected his advances.

Naruto had never met the woman in person, but if she knew enough to decline an invitation from his godfather, then he supposed she had to have at least some sense. He sighed, thinking back to the women he'd seen his sleeping godfather draped over when he had left the house that morning. So many women ended up finding their way into the house through Jiraiya's antics, but Naruto normally left things be because things never went anywhere. After all, Jiraiya was first and foremost a super pervert, and that meant that no matter how hard he tried, it was only a matter of time until he ended up getting slapped and left in the house alone as a broken shell of his former self.

Of course, it went without saying that it only took a few hours or so before the old geezer was back on his feet and ready to try again.

That was how it was with Jiraiya.

The man loved porn (and writing it) more than anything, and if it hadn't been for Naruto having known of the man's history as a great ninja hermit, there would have been an entirely new reason for Jiraiya being dubbed a "Sage".

Naruto sighed again, shaking his head as he thought of the old man.

"_What the hell does he want to talk about? He's been building it up for the past week so it must be important… but if this is just about me reading another of his stupid books so help me I'll-"_

"Hey, Pervy Sage! I'm home!" Naruto shouted, sliding the door shut behind him as he reached his destination.

It was amazing how quickly time could pass when you were lost in thought.

"I'm back here!" came the man's reply, and Naruto frowned, tossing his bag to the side before stepping further into the house.

He had expected him to be waiting in the living room, not all the way in the back of the house. There wasn't anything back there except the bedroom and-

Naruto grimaced.

"Oi, Pervy Sage! You better not be back there hoping to flash me with some new perverted look of yours or I'm gonna-"

"Oh stop complaining and get back here!" Jiraiya replied eagerly, "I've got something I want to show you."

"Show me?" Naruto questioned, making his way to the room, "Listen, Pervy Sage, this is the last time I'm telling you, I'm not reading anymore of your Icha Icha porn novels-" he paused, his eyes widening as he glanced at what the man was holding in his hands. It was- "What… What _is _that?"

Jiraiya grinned happily, a small chuckled bellowing from his lips as he held up the suit so Naruto could see it clearly. It was an all-black bodysuit, lined with several thin cuts along the shoulders to reveal one's skin. Attached to its shirt was a thick white vest, which Naruto could only assume was meant to be used in the same manner as Kevlar- blocking projectiles.

"What… is that?" Naruto found himself repeating, his eyes narrowing at the suit in suspicion.

"Hmhm… you like it?" Jiraiya asked, rubbing his chin victoriously as he thrust it out in front of the blonde eagerly. "It's your father's old Konoha uniform. I had it refurbished and upgraded of course, to get rid of the rips and tears, but as it is now… it's pretty hip, don't you think?"

"Huh? My old man wore that…?" Naruto glanced at it for several seconds before his eyes narrowed, remembering the initial problem. "Wait, that's beside the point! What's this thing doing in here, in this house?!"

"Like I said, I dug it out and had it refurbished." Jiraiya laughed, "I thought you might want to try it out once or twice. Especially with it being that time of year-"

"Like hell I'd want to wear some old-fashioned ninja gear!" Naruto shrieked, ripping the uniform out of Jiraiya's hand and onto the floor.

"Well, what were you expecting?" Jiraiya questioned, "An orange jumpsuit?"

Naruto scowled, "It has nothing to do with the color and you know it! I told you, I'm done having anything to do with ninja!"

"Naruto…" Jiraiya sighed, lowering the hand he had outstretched sadly, "So you're still sticking with this decision of yours after all these years?"

"Yeah. I have no intention of leading that kind of life." Naruto reaffirmed.

Jiraiya ran a hand through his spiky white hair in frustration. "Well, that's going to be a problem in the immediate future. You see, Naruto, things are quite as clear-cut as they used to be. I've been holding off on telling you this, but your father-"

The sound of a stumbling vase in the kitchen drew both their attention.

"Friend of yours?" Jiraiya asked the blonde curiously, earning a steady shake of the head in return.

"I don't _bring_ friends home." Naruto grimaced, "And you know why."

They stared at each other for several seconds, an unspoken conversation taking place. It only took a single second for the two of them to nod and head out towards the location.

In the world of ninja, assassination attempts were an everyday occurrence. That being said, an attempt on the life of one of the three Sannin was quite rare, and whoever it was would be more than skilled enough to avoid clashing against a mere vase.

So, that meant one of two things.

One, the target was not Jiraiya, but rather, the young blonde who lived with him…

Or

Two, the culprit was not an assassin sent to kill them, and they either had nothing to do with the ninja world in general, or wanted to be found.

Naruto grimaced as he entered the room with the broken vase, a small kunai equipped in his right hand, as much as he hated to use it. Hiding in the shadows, he took a single step forward. He could see the shadow of the culprit… but just who was it-

His eyes widened, recognition turning to shock as he locked eyes with the emerald green orbs he hadn't seen in what felt like a lifetime.

The kunai he'd been holding only a second earlier clattered against the ground noisily, and the person's pink hair swished through the air when she turned her full body towards him.

She smiled happily, clasping her hands together almost as if she'd been anticipating that very moment for quite some time.

Naruto inhaled.

"S-Sa…kura…."

"It's been quite some time," the girl smiled, taking a single step forward toward the blonde, "hasn't it, Naruto?"

_-PtK-_

Jiraiya laughed.

"I see! So that was you who had made that noise! You really gave us quite a scare there, Cherry Blossom."

"Hai, I apologize for the disruption Jiraiya-sama, I had arrived earlier than anticipated, and when I thought about seeing you both again after all this time…"

"Oi, Oi, Pervy Sage!" Naruto grimaced, slamming his hand on the table much to Jiraiya's bemusement, "What the hell is she doing here?!"

"Eh? Jiraiya-sama, do you mean to say that Naruto was not aware of my coming here?" the pinkette frowned, tilting her head to the side curiously.

"Ah… well, I tried to tell him, but things kept getting in the way…" the Sannin laughed.

"Liar," Naruto deadpanned, "You've been writing all that porn in your bedroom the past three weeks! Not to mention all those outings hunting for women!"

"Oh? You seem to be… far more perverted than I remember you being, Jiraiya-sama." Sakura frowned, closing her eyes. "It would seem the civilian lifestyle has made you even more lecherous and obscene than before. Shall I commence reeducation?" she cracked her knuckles.

"Now now, let's not get hasty." Jiraiya smiled, subtly moving towards the closest door while glancing at Naruto for support.

"Don't look at me Pervy Sage," Naruto scowled, "You'd deserve it. But that's beside the point!" he slammed his fist on the table again, "Sakura!" he pointed at her angrily, "What's going on? Why are you all the way out here?!"

Sakura glanced up at him calmly, intending to answer without pause.

"Due to a nearly successful assassination attempt on the Yondaime Hokage, I have been ordered to watch over one of several possible targets. Due to my prior history with you, it was deemed that I'd be most compatible with you, and so, here I am."

"Ah, I see. So you were sent here because you know how to work with me…" Naruto smiled, "As if! What do you mean Tou-san nearly got assassinated?! Weren't his guards doing their job?!"

"Sorry…" Sakura apologized, her head bowed down solemnly, "They did the best they could… but, the attack happened so fast-"

Naruto felt his chest tighten and his palms grow sweaty. Several condensed beads of sweat began to roll down the blonde's head. He dry lips parted, and he breathed out the question he severely wanted to know the answer to.

"Tou-san… is he…?"

An uneasy silence hung in the air.

"Naruto, please…" Sakura began, "try to understand that the medics… they're doing everything they can. With their help, Yondaime-sama has gotten out of any immediate danger, but… sorry, Naruto. I don't know how to tell you this kindly… but Yondaime-sama has entered a coma."

The blonde billowed over as if he had been punched in the stomach.

His father?

Coma?

Those words… it was impossible for them to go together, and yet there he stood, doubled over with his eyes wide, listening to the words he never thought he'd hear.

"This… you said this… happened nearly a week ago, right?" Naruto gasped, "Why… Why wasn't I told?"

"You just were." Jiraiya spoke solemnly, setting a hand on the blonde's shoulder in a show of support, "But, I'm afraid the news doesn't stop there Naruto. With Minato… incapacitated, the Clan is looking for a new leader. Your mother has been able to keep most of the dissenters at bay for now, but… It's only a matter of time before they come for you."

The blonde's eyes went wide, and before he knew what he was doing he had torn Jiraiya's hand off of him and was out the door.

"Naruto, wait!" Jiraiya's voice called after him, but the blonde couldn't hear it.

How could he, when his peaceful life had been torn asunder in a matter of seconds?

"Baka Sannin." Sakura scolded back inside the house, making to stand as she watched the elderly Sage narrowly, "You should have known better than to tell him such things at a time like this. He only just found out about what happened to his father."

"Yeah…" Jiraiya sighed, "I suppose I should go after him."

"Don't bother." The pinkette muttered with a huff, grabbing her equipment and turning to leave, "I'll go. Protecting the target is part of my mission, after all."

She was just about to take off after him when Jiraiya's hand grabbed her by the sleeve.

"…?"

"In that case," the Sannin frowned, his eyes gleaming in the dim light of the building, "I suppose you wouldn't mind taking something with you when you go?"

Sakura turned back, her eyes blinking curiously when she saw just what it was Jiraiya intended to give her.

_-Outside-_

His father was in a coma.

The Clan was intending to make him the new head.

It was too much to take in at one time.

Naruto panted heavily, a hand clasped supportively against a wall as he eyed the empty road in front of him. What was he doing, running away like that? Certainly, that had seemed to be a promising route at the time, but to actually take it?

His head drooped, wondering what the two thought of him now. That didn't stay in his mind for long however. He had much more to be concerned about.

"Tou-san is in a coma…." He mumbled beneath his breath, "Impossible… the old man I knew was unbeatable… there's no way he could have been defeated… no matter how it was done! And those Clan members… what the hell do they think they're up to?! There's no way I could be…"

"Naruto…" the soft voice of his former childhood friend called out, drawing the blonde's attention.

"!" Naruto looked up, staring into the green eyes of the woman before sighing. "Sakura… you came after me?"

"Of course I did, silly." She responded kindly, "Jiraiya-sama really should have known better than to throw everything on you at once like that."

"So it's true then…? Tou-san is really…?"

Sakura furrowed her brow, her gaze softening slightly while she spoke to the boy. "Hai… I'm afraid so. The medics we had on staff at the time were enough to remove any immediate danger to Yondaime-sama, but as far as a full recovery goes… his body is fine, but his mind is…"

Naruto exhaled, allowing his body to slump against the wall.

"A-Ah, we have of course sent word to the best medics available!" Sakura hastened to add, "But, until they arrive at the main compound, there's no telling what the situation may be."

"I see." Naruto replied in a detached manner, gazing across the street at nothing in particular.

Sakura frowned, moving to lean against the same wall Naruto was before glancing up into the night sky.

"I… apologize." She offered, "This was not exactly how I envisioned meeting you after all these years. I never intended to bring up your father…"

"It's fine." Naruto muttered with a sigh, turning his head downward to cut the girl off. "If it hadn't been for you bringing it up, I likely would have never found out. The old geezer procrastinates like that. Were you there when it happened?"

"Eh?" Sakura blinked, "N-No… I'm afraid not. I had been on a diplomatic mission in Iwa's territory at the time. Of course, the second I found out the mission was immediately cut short as deemed by protocol-"

"I see." Naruto smiled wryly, eager to steer the conversation away to something else for the time being. "Being sent on diplomatic missions already, you sure have gone far, Sakura."

"O-Of course I have!" the pinkette agreed, "Ever since that day, I've been training to the best of my abilities to become a proper kunoichi! I made sure to work twice as hard as everyone else, just to make sure that-" she flinched before she could go off on a tangent, as if realizing what she was saying.

"What?" Naruto asked curiously, tilting his head slightly to gaze at the girl.

"N-Nothing…." Sakura replied, turning her head away from the boy for several seconds.

An awkward silence fell between them.

"Hey, Naruto…" the girl spoke up again, "I've been meaning to ask you all these years… Why did you… Why did you decide to quit? Was it… Was it because of me, because if that's the case-"

"Don't be naïve." Naruto sighed, sliding his hands into his pockets as he straightened his back. "What happened back then… doesn't have anything to do with why I stopped being a ninja. It was embarrassing sure, but hardly traumatizing. Besides, you had your own reasons right? Your family had to move, or something. I won't lie and say I was pleased with how you ran off," the blonde chuckled dryly, "but we were little kids back then. It's understandable."

"E-Eh?" Sakura glanced at him in shock, "But, in that case, why did you-?!"

Naruto grimaced. This was hardly the person he wanted to be talking about such things with.

"There are techniques in this world that should have never been used. Let's just leave it at that, alright Sakura?" the blonde muttered, his eyes darkening as he spoke. "I'd rather not think on such things at the moment. Especially with everything else going on right now."

Again, his mind drifted back to the fact that his father was in a coma, and that the Konoha Group was bent on making him the next head.

"Ah… right…" Sakura nodded, "I apologize."

"Don't. It's not your fault after all." Naruto sighed. "Did they find out who was responsible?"

"No…" Sakura spoke apologetically, "It's part of the reason why so many of us have been dispatched to protect high-quality targets. We can't be sure if this is just a single, isolated event or the start of something greater. Nonetheless, besides myself, several qualifying ninja have been given orders to protect their own targets. Last I heard, your mother was being protected by Hatake Kakashi himself."

"Kakashi?" the blonde asked, raising a brow, "I think I've heard that name before. Dad mentioned it every so often when I still lived back with them. Is he someone important?"

"Eh?" Sakura blinked, raising her arm in an instructor-like fashion to explain. "He's only one of the strongest shinobi to have been raised by the Clan! He's rumored to know over a thousand techniques, and has the ability to copy any move after seeing it only once! He's really something… It's not surprising that you've heard his name, he was trained by your father, after all."

"Eh? This guy was….?" Naruto asked, taking a pause before smiling softly again. "I guess that means Kaa-san will be safe too then… But I have to say I'm surprised. I never thought they'd send someone my age to watch over me. What, am I not worth the very best?"

Sakura grimaced, "Despite whatever your beliefs about my qualifications, I can assure you I've completed my training and am capable of acting as a proficient kunoichi. Really, it's your own fault. The Clan deemed it unlikely that anyone would bother going after someone who hasn't had anything to do with ninja for the past several years. Combined with the fact that you are an adolescent teenager, the Council felt it would be best if you were dealing with someone your own age. Seeing as I'm the one who can boast knowing you the best, it's only obvious that I'd be chosen for the job."

"I see." Naruto sighed. "So simply put, they didn't want to waste resources watching over some snot-nosed brat, so sent another snot-nosed brat to take care of the job…"

"E-Eh?! Who are you calling snot-nosed?!" Sakura snapped, "Even if you're an old friend, I won't have any problem pounding you into the ground, Shannaro!"

"!"

"!"

The pair cut off from the friendly argument they were about to delve into to scan the surrounding area. Something was off. Neither of them had noticed it until recently, but they were no longer alone. In fact, there were numerous people streaming through the area, and this feeling… lined with killer intent…

"Naruto." Sakura muttered, her eyes hardening defensively.

"Yeah, I felt it." The blonde confirmed, his own eyes scanning the crowd. "Think it's one of those assassins you were talking about?"

"I can't tell. There's too many people around here, they could be anywhere."

"I got it. In that case…" Naruto grimaced, pulling away from the wall and looking toward the many civilians, "we'll just have to flush them out!"

Sakura nodded, and the two took off in the same direction.

The feeling of Killing Intent followed.

Through the crowd, down the populated street, the pair ran.

They needed to get somewhere unpopulated, where not a single civilian was in sight. It was the first step of being a shinobi. But that worked both ways.

As long as they were in the crowd, their enemy couldn't act either. At least, not in a way that could draw much attention. Naruto supposed that was the allure in being known as an _assassin_. Depending on their skillset, one could easily kill a man in the midst of a crowd. Even as something as simple as a scratch could have fatal effects.

It was why both he and Sakura were so focused on getting somewhere unpopulated. With no one to hide amongst, the assassin would be forced to confront them directly, and then…

They could take them out!

Naruto scowled as he barged through a roof access door, stumbling onto an unfinished construction site as Sakura stalked in behind him.

"Dark, concealed…." Naruto muttered, "This'll work."

"Hai." Sakura agreed, scanning the area with a frown. "The person seems to have fallen behind. Given this sensation… I'd say we have maybe five, six minutes before they arrive."

The blonde nodded, "I understand. What supplies do you have on you? Kunai, senbon?"

Sakura frowned, loosing a scroll concealed in her back pocket and running her hand along it idly. In a soft flash, several barrels of equipment flourished outward, and she scanned the contents hurriedly.

"Nine sets of shuriken, five rolls of kunai, two ninjato, five rope darts, and twenty two first aid kits."

Naruto stared at her with a deadpan look in his eyes. "Sakura… ah… why do you have so many first aid kits?"

The pinkette glanced at him frustratingly, "Do you mean to say you're no longer the reckless, easily injured boy I befriended when I was little?"

"No." Naruto answered immediately, "I don't get injured if I can help it." He sighed, "Whatever, now isn't the time for this conversation anyway. Let's split up this equipment, we still have a few minutes before whoever's hunting us gets here-"

"Ah!" Sakura shouted in surprise, another flash erupting from the scroll as the suit Jiraiya had shown Naruto earlier flourished out its pages.

"Is that….?" The blonde stared at the woman impatiently.

"This is…" Sakura frowned, "Jiraiya-sama intended for me to give it to you after you'd calmed down. I know it's not exactly orange or anything, but…"

"No. It's fine." Naruto sighed, "The clothes I'm wearing at the moment won't do for holding ninja gear anyway. And being honest…." He glanced at the clothes with a frown, "I don't think they look all… that bad."

Sakura's eye gleamed. "So you'll wear it?"

Taking a swift step back as Sakura approached him with sinister intentions, Naruto sweatdropped. "Ah, well, that is to say-"

"No turning back now." The woman decided forcefully, "We're running low on time as it is."

She leapt forth, and not in one way, Naruto would find his privacy violated.

_-Five Minutes Later-_

The kunoichi and her ninja-hating companion stood firmly in the center of the roof, both of them decked out in full ninja gear.

Holsters and sheathes lined their jeans and back respectively, providing quick and easy access to their weapons whenever they so pleased. They stared at the entrance to the roof expectantly, but their focus was on everything around them.

They couldn't honestly expect a skilled ninja to come in from the front after all.

That would be… well, stupid.

After several seconds passed, the two exchanged eye contact for a single moment, a single thought passing between them.

'_He's here.'_

As if on cue, a small senbon lined with a clear fluid shot forward from the depths of the roof toward Naruto's neck, and Sakura sprang into action.

Quickly freeing a kunai from her pouch, she leapt to the side, swinging her arm in a condensed, perfect motion so that steel met steel, and the kunai deflected the small needle down into the ground below.

"You'll have to try harder than that." She muttered, glaring out toward the location where the attack had originated.

"Hu hu…" a nasty laugh erupted from the darkness of the construction site, "I must say, I certainly wasn't expecting a ninja of Konoha to arrive so soon. Perhaps I should have acted sooner." A flash of white hair emerged from the dark, and a pair of dull, green eyes gleamed beneath them. "No matter," the man's voice continued, "I guess I'll just have to take you out too."

Suddenly he erupted out from the shadows, leaping forth into the moonlight for the first time. Puling his arm back, the assailant loosed the great shuriken latched across his back, and swung it forward, towards the pair.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, raising her kunai defensively. "Move!" She leapt upward, toward a construction beam.

"I know!" the blonde muttered, grabbing a kunai of his own before dodging to the side, allowing the giant shuriken to pass through the space they stood moments prior.

The white-haired assailant grinned beneath his ninja mask, lunging after Naruto and driving a kunai of his own forward. "Kehaha!"

"Guh!" Naruto grimaced, deflecting the thrust with his own kunai as he quickly backpedaled.

As the man began swinging his kunai skillfully, Naruto struggled to dodge and deflect each blow, continuing to leap backward after each motion.

"_Damn…!"_ he thought, _"I haven't been in practice for some time…. I could really use some help here, Sakura!"_

It couldn't have come any sooner. Just as the assassin was about to lash out once more, a sudden rope shot from the shadows lashed out and wrapped around his arm, before being pulled inward, dragging the man away from the blonde.

"Grah!" the man snarled as he was tossed into the concrete floor, rolling several steps before finally cutting the rope loose with his kunai. "Not bad. It appears you have some skill after all… but tell me Konoha nin, can you keep up with this?"

Not even a second after the man stopped talking did he erupt into a fluid of motions, numerous copies of the man appearing throughout the roof all wielding a kunai of their own.

Naruto grimaced at the scene.

"_This is… the ability to duplicate oneself with a number of harmless illusions! The Bunshin no Jutsu! But… that's a basic ninja technique that everyone should know!"_

"So, how about it Konoha nin?" the man asked, his voice echoing amongst all the clones as they moved throughout the roof, "Will you be able to tell which of us is the real deal? Hehehehah!"

"_The Bunshin Technique…."_ Naruto thought, _"Once it's in motion it's nearly impossible to figure out which of the clones is the real one without some kind of eye ability. But… if you know where to look…"_ The blonde's eyes flashed as he watched one of the clone's step down upon the concrete. It dented slightly, and the blonde launched his kunai forward. _"You'll be able to spot small changes in the environment that a mere illusion couldn't produce!"_

The assailant hissed as the kunai tore past his leg, leaving a small gash that had interrupted his casting of the Jutsu.

"Now Sakura!" Naruto shouted, and Sakura launched down from above, driving her fist toward the man's head.

The man barely managed to dodge before the pinkette landed, shattering the ground beneath her fist and leaving a small crater in its wake.

The assassin whistled.

"That's quite some power you got there girl… too bad it's being used for such a pathetic cause."

Sakura scowled in reply, quickly leaping back beside Naruto and readying her stance once more.

"I don't need to hear the words of a nameless assassin," she spat, "and no matter what your plans, I won't allow you to lay a finger on Naruto!"

"Nameless?" the assassin giggled, using his free hand to pull at his mask. "Fufu… I assure you girl, I am anything but nameless. Behold, I am none other than the invincible Mizuki!"

He pulled down the black scarf eagerly, freeing his sinister face for the world to see. Both Naruto and Sakura stared at him blankly.

"Ah, Sakura…" Naruto muttered, pointing at him, "do you know this guy?"

"Not at all," came her reply, "I suppose he must not be very important after all."

"The hell's up with that response?!" Mizuki snapped, yelling at the two angrily. He smirked, leaning back before raising his kunai once more. "Well, I suppose if you don't recognize me by my name… I'll just have you remember me as the one who killed you! Haha!"

He launched himself forward, grabbing another kunai before confronting both of them in battle directly. He'd swing upward, and the blonde would block the attack with a subpar defense, he'd swing to the right, and the female would duck below while retreating fluidly.

He scowled.

"Take this!" the man snapped finally, turning on his heel and flinging his left leg into Naruto's side.

The blonde winced as he attempted to block it, but the force was stronger than he expected, and he was sent flying into the ground.

Mizuki grinned, "And now… for you!" he continued, changing the grip of his kunai as he moved into a turn. His weapon's edge gleamed in the night as it swooped forth, and Sakura was forced to pull back, barely managing to block the blow herself before flipping backwards.

"Heh. Perfect." Mizuki grinned.

"What-?" Sakura muttered, her eyes narrowing curiously at the words before realizing what had happened.

She was on the separate side of the roof from Naruto!

"Haha! Time to die!" Mizuki laughed, quickly changing the grip of his kunai once more before he completed his turn, tossing the weapon toward Naruto in what would be a fatal blow.

Sakura's eyes went wide.

"_He moved so quick… at this rate Naruto won't be able to dodge! So…"_ she grit her teeth, and launched herself forward as well.

It'd be close, the girl doubted she'd have the time to block the attack. But that was fine, as long as Naruto was safe.

"….!" Sakura coughed, blood splattering the floor beneath her as she pressed a hand to her side.

Mizuki's kunai was embedded firmly in her skin. She could already feel the wetness of her blood begin to soak through her clothing.

"Ah… Ah…?"

She fell.

"S-Sakura?" Naruto managed to utter out, quickly leaping back to his own feet. "Sakura!"

"Ah… Na…ruto?" Sakura asked.

"Hey, Sakura, what the hell are you doing? Hurry up and get up! We've still gotta beat this guy-!"

"Sorry, Naruto…" The pinkette apologized, "But… it doesn't look like I'll… be able to continue… much longer."

"Eh? No way… Sakura, come on… stop fooling around, you've gotta get up, before he attacks again-"

The pinkette raised her bloody hand, allowing it to brush against the blonde's cheek. "Naruto… I'm sorry… you must have been lonely all these years and yet… and now… just when I finally get to see you again… I've done nothing but give you bad news… I'm sorry, Naruto…. So sorry…!"

Naruto grabbed her hand in surprise, "S-Sakura… no… you, you don't have anything to apologize for… both this time, and the last, you can't be blamed for either of those, so…"

"You always were so nice…" Sakura coughed, "It's a shame… I had to leave... If I… hadn't, my answer back then… most certainly would have been…." She trailed off, her hand slipping through Naruto's grip and falling back to the ground as she turned her head to the side, closing her eyes.

"Sakura? Sakura…?" Naruto asked again, cradling her body slightly.

"Kehahahahaha!" Mizuki laughed, bellowing humorously as he eyed the situation. "So she took it instead? Guahahaha! How grand, how exquisite! Truly, what a wonderful specimen she would have been…" he chuckled, "but I suppose that's worthless now…" quickly, he grabbed several shuriken and tossed them toward the pair.

Naruto's mouth curled into a grimace, and he quickly spread himself in front of Sakura's body defensively, deflecting each shuriken with his kunai.

"Oh… he blocked it?" Mizuki's brow rose curiously.

"Sakura… you always did get dragged into my sort of nonsense…." The blonde muttered, "Even now… years later, you got injured protecting this worthless loser…. Maybe… that's what made you you, you know? But… having regrets… living your life uncertainly… you couldn't have been very happy either… and that's why, I won't allow you to die here. Sorry, Sakura… I'll make sure you get some help. But first…."

Mizuki frowned, feeling an unwelcome aura erupt from the boy's being. It was a massive wave of killing intent, one that the man suspected belonged to something far greater than the boy standing in front of him, but it was gone just as fast as it came. His eyes narrowed, watching the blonde carefully as he rose his head, animalistic red eyes staring back at him.

"**I'm gonna pound you."** Naruto muttered, and he launched himself forward.

He was upon Mizuki in a second, kunai meeting kunai in a mad clash for power. The white-haired assassin scowled as he leapt back, reaching for another shuriken as the blonde charged in head-first, ignoring any risk of a counterattack.

"Ugh!" Mizuki winced, reeling back as blood flew from his gut.

Naruto had caught him with that last attack. It wasn't thorough, but it was enough to cause lasting damage.

The two landed apart from each other, with Mizuki panting softly as he gripped his wound.

"Interesting… So you inherited it after all… Naruto Namikaze."

The blonde said nothing in reply, shifting his stance before slowly reaching for the ninjato sheathed across his back.

"Ho…? You really think you can best me with such a weapon?" Mizuki asked, readying his kunai for the assault that would no doubt come.

He didn't have to wait long.

Naruto had launched himself forward before Mizuki even finished talking, and the sound of his blade clashing with kunai echoed across the roof.

"_Stronger, faster… indeed! This is definitely the power of the-!"_

Again, Mizuki found his thoughts and words cut off as Naruto tore through him once more.

The man gagged, blood flying from his lips as he was sent rolling into the concrete.

Naruto stood above him, the blade aimed at the man's neck.

Mizuki scowled. As if he would let some brat finish him off so easily. He threw his arms upward, releasing several shuriken at point-blank range, thinking the blonde would become little more than a pincushion.

He thought wrong.

Naruto flipped back, allowing the weapons to soar harmlessly into the sky before landing gracefully back on the roof. He stabbed the ninjato into the ground before making several quick seals.

"Earlier…." The blonde muttered, "You demonstrated your use of the Bunshin no Jutsu, did you not?"

Mizuki continued to pant as he rose back to his feet, glaring at the blonde angrily. "What of it?" he spat, reaching for another kunai.

He found he had none.

Naruto grinned. "Why don't I show you what happens when you take it a step further."

He finished his seal, "Behold Mizuki, the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!"

A cloud of smoke tore through the roof, enveloping the area in a dense fog that lasted several seconds. When it cleared, Mizuki could do little more than bulge his eyes.

Hundreds of Naruto clones filled the construction site, all of them glaring at him with those horrid, red eyes. He scowled. It wouldn't matter, they were all just illusions anyway!

And then he was punched.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Attacks assaulted him from all sides, so much so that he knew it was impossible for _one_ person to be making so many so quickly.

"_Impossible-!"_ he thought, grimacing in pain as he fell backward, _"They're real?! Real clones?!"_

He found himself lacking further thought when a final clone kicked him over the edge of the building, down toward the street below.

He would have fallen, if not for the sudden use of a rope dart by the original Naruto just after the clones vanished.

The blonde frowned angrily, holding the rope tightly as he glared at the dangling Mizuki facing him upside down.

The assassin had no further weapons to use. His kunai were expired, and his shuriken were used.

He was trapped.

"So this is the extent of your abilities…" Naruto grimaced, as if disappointed. "Mizuki."

The man panted, blood dripping from his wounds as he stared back at the boy. "You… You better not underestimate-"

A sudden kunai whirred past his face, cutting him just enough to draw blood.

"That's my line." The blonde retorted, pulling the rope tighter.

Mizuki hissed as his body was forced upward, the sudden movement drawing even more blood from his wounds.

"It's obvious someone as weak as you wouldn't be capable of defeating the Yondaime alone. Did you have help, or are you just here working for somebody else?"

"Tch, as if I'd tell you anything, you little brat-!"

There was a moment of silence, and Naruto loosened the rope.

"You're not in a situation to refuse, Mizuki." The blonde continued, "You'll either tell me what I want to know… or I'll drop you."

"Damn…." Mizuki grimaced, glaring at the street below.

It was a long way down.

"Fine, I'll tell you." He decided, though glaring to make his displeasure known. "Your father, no… your entire family…. I'll tell you who they were targeted by."

The rope tightened.

"Well?" Naruto asked.

"We call them…. Akatsuki."

"The Dawn?" Naruto questioned, "Why? What's their motive?"

"I couldn't tell ya." Mizuki grinned, "But, I do know they were highly interested in the elimination of the Namikaze family. Heh, they even had me track you _Uzumaki_ down all the way out here in Nami no Kuni."

"So… this 'Akatsuki' is responsible for my father's state then? And they'll be sending more than just you next time…." Naruto frowned, "What else do you know about them? Number of members? Names?"

"Well… I can't tell you any specifics," Mizuki smirked, "But… rumors say that both Itachi Uchiha and Nagato _Uzumaki_ are part of this organization."

The rope slipped, and Naruto barely caught it amongst his sudden tremors.

"Na…ga…to?"

_Standing alone amongst a world of flames._

_His rippled eyes sought out an absolute power._

"_The Kyuubi is mine, Kushina!"_

"_No!"_

Naruto smashed his eyes shut, stumbling backward as he tightened his grip on the rope. "Urk… Che…!"

"Oh…? So you do know of him…" Mizuki chuckled, slowly growing into a full belly laugh, "Beware, Naruto Uzumaki! For when Red Clouds descend upon this city, they shall mark your-"

"I've heard enough."

Naruto released the rope, propelling Mizuki down toward the streets. His yell was heard all throughout the rooftop.

"Akatsuki…"

"Na-Naruto?" Sakura asked, slowly, leaning up from her place on the floor.

The blonde's brow furrowed, and he turned to gaze back at the woman who addressed him. "Ah, Sakura... You're alive…?"

"Of course I am, baka." Sakura smiled lightly, "It'll take more than a kunai wound to kill a medical ninja." She glanced around, "But… what happened to the assassin? Last I saw he was still…" she glanced at the scene, several thoughts coming to mind as she noticed a rope dart was missing from her person. "You… You didn't-?"

"I didn't kill him." Naruto assured, "Probably."

"Naruto-!" the pinkette hissed, leaning upward as she pulled the kunai from her skin to allow it to heal, "What about the sanctions! You can't just drop a corpse into the middle of the street, if they find out-!"

"There's no need to worry about that," the blonde again assured her, "besides, I've come to a decision."

"Eh?"

Naruto turned towards her, a soft smirk pulling at his lips as he spoke.

"Sakura… I will become Hokage."

* * *

_-Chapter One-_

* * *

_**END**_


	2. Transferred

"Naruto, to the right!"

"On it."

The blonde curled as he descended in midair, swinging his arm out hurriedly to toss several shuriken toward his intended target.

They spun through the air rapidly, erupting with sparks and a loud clang as they were deflected by the sharp edge of the target's kunai.

Naruto grimaced.

"He blocked it huh…? In that case, I'll just have to do this!" the blonde snapped, landing on the floor gracefully as he formed a seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

In a flash several copies of the blonde burst into existence, each surrounded with a steaming plume of smoke that announced their arrival.

"You may be able to block three, but let's see how you handle an attack on all sides!" Naruto grinned.

The target said nothing, holding his kunai up defensively while scanning his immediate surroundings. Naruto had created a decent number of clones from all sides. The man smiled slightly.

He was surrounded.

"_It's time for an all-out attack!"_ Naruto thought, his eyes gleaming as he pulled out several shuriken with both hands.

His clones did the same.

"Now, take this!" he announced, launching both arms forward to sling the weapons in front of him, directly toward the target's location just as his clones mimicked his movements.

Shuriken flew forward from all sides, closing in on the man leaving little to no time to dodge.

Again, the target smirked.

Without a single wasted movement, the man leapt upward, allowing the shuriken to clash against each other upon impact.

"_It wasn't a bad plan,"_ he thought, allowing his body to drift upward toward the ceiling, _"but he could still use some work on his timing."_

"Sakura, now!" the blonde hollered from below, catching the man's attention.

The pinkette nodded, appearing on the ceiling above the target, just as planned. "Hai, Naruto!"

As the target continued to drift upward, Sakura pushed off the ceiling toward him, pulling back her right first in preparation for a 100% blow.

In that instant, the target grinned. He flipped himself backward as he flew toward the woman, grabbing her arm with his own before slinging her down toward one of the many Naruto waiting below.

The pair cried out in pain as they crashed into each other, tumbling into the ground as the many clones vanished from existence.

Jiraiya chuckled as he landed back on the ground, assuming one of his many extravagant poses while gazing upon the two "youngins" that he had been training with.

"Well, there you have it!" he boasted eagerly, finishing his pose eagerly as his long, spiky hair drifted through nonexistent wind, "You're still a hundred years too early to be capable of defeating me!"

He pressed his hands to his hips and let loose a powerful laugh, listening to both Naruto and Sakura groan in annoyance as they tried to climb back to their feet.

* * *

**NARUTO: Path to Kage**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**Transferred**

* * *

It had been a week since Mizuki attacked. Upon his defeat, Jiraiya had quickly summoned the "clean-up crew", as Naruto liked to call them, to handle any problems and concerns that would arise from the man's appearance.

The blonde never quite did know where they came from, or how Jiraiya managed to call them up so quickly, but in the long run he supposed it wasn't something to be overly concerned about. To be honest, Naruto suspected they were just part of some super-secret spy network his godfather ran, but again, such things drifted remarkably low on the blonde's list of things to learn.

That being said, Mizuki's appearance had made it clear just what Naruto was getting into by being the son of the Yondaime; and with his sudden determination to fill the role of Hokage, it was only natural that Jiraiya had begun training him.

He had been out of practice for quite a few years after all. Of course, despite being serious about becoming Hokage, Naruto hardly felt it fair that he had to stay up all night training when he'd rather be sleeping. He'd complained about it the first few days, but Jiraiya had soon made it clear that Naruto had a lot to catch up on.

"Man…." The blonde sighed as they left the room, both he and Sakura feeling sore and bruised, "Who would've thought that old geezer would be so hard to keep down."

"He isn't a Sannin for nothing…" Sakura spoke solemnly, trailing behind Naruto slightly as they climbed the steps, "It would be foolish of us to underestimate him."

"Right…" Naruto agreed, his mind drifting to different thoughts, "But, I have to say I'm even more surprised that we had all this down here! We've been coming down here the past few days, and I still can't believe this place existed and I never found it all the time I've lived here!"

Jiraiya chuckled from behind them, moving to explain, "When you've been a ninja for as long as I have, you get skilled at hiding things. Given that you never even thought about using chakra in all our time together, it wasn't too difficult to craft this place and hide it behind a subtle Genjutsu. Of course, there's also the requirement to knowing the passcode just to get through the door. I took many precautions to keep it hidden. Either way, Naruto, shouldn't you be moving a bit faster? It's about time for your high school to open up, isn't it?"

"…Eh?" Naruto asked.

That was right.

Even after deciding to give in to his godfather's requests and take action to become Hokage, it wasn't like Naruto could immediately drop everything else and put all his being into practicing Ninjutsu. It was the middle of the school year, and far too many questions would be raised if he were to simply drop off the face of the earth right then and there.

So he had to continue to attend Iruka's drawling lectures, no matter how much he wished he could ignore them.

"Ah, you're right. It's almost 7:00." The blonde muttered, pulling ahead of the two to run into his bedroom, "I'll be getting changed then, you two. Maybe I'll actually make it on time for once!"

The two sighed at the blonde's antics as he disappeared into his room, snapping the door shut behind him as he did so. There had been far too many close calls in the past, and he didn't want to give his perverted godfather any more ideas for those porn novels he wrote.

Luckily for him, Jiraiya had better things to do.

The white-haired Sannin smirked a bit before turning to the pink-haired kunoichi sighing beside him.

"It's about time you got ready too, isn't it Sakura?"

The pinkette smiled knowingly, before giving the older man a single nod.

She too, retreated into the guest room, entering her own bathroom to prepare for a grueling day. She had yet to tell Naruto, though she was certain he'd find out soon enough.

Surprisingly, the blonde was _not_ the first one out, despite having had a good minutes or two longer than the girl in the bath.

No.

It was Sakura who emerged from the bath in a school uniform first, her short, bristly hair combed down to present a less confident, more approachable look. She glanced at herself in the mirror as she passed.

"Not bad." Jiraiya told her, gazing at her from behind with a lecherous grin on his face. He cupped his hands together as if looking through a camera before aiming towards her. "Hmm…" he muttered, "I'd say… a B Plus?"

Sakura frowned, closing her eyes before walking away from the mirror in a hurry.

"While I'm grateful for your comment Jiraiya-sama," she began, "I'm certain both Naruto and I would prefer it if you didn't look at women half your age. It's unbecoming of someone of your stature."

"Ah come on," the man giggled, "there's nothing wrong with having some fun every now and then is there?"

Sakura paused, her eyes steeling as if preparing to say something nasty, but she stopped upon hearing the sound of a sliding door. Quickly, the girl leapt out of sight, nowhere to be seen as Naruto stepped back into the room wearing his own uniform.

"Huh? It's just you old man? I thought I heard Sakura a moment ago too." The blonde frowned.

"Ah well," Jiraiya chuckled, "She had to step out for a bit to run a few… errands for me."

The blonde sighed, "What's the matter with you, sending her off to do that kind of stuff alone? Well, whatever. Your perverted porn magazines have nothing to do with me."

He slugged his bag over his shoulder, walking past the man on his own way out.

"I'm gonna head out now Pervy Sage, gotta get to class and all that."

Jiraiya shook his head, watching the blonde mass of hair walk down the steps and disappear into the street.

"Naruto you idiot," he chuckled, a dirty gleam in his eye, "like I'd have a girl like Sakura buy me magazines."

The girl in question dropped back down behind the man as he finished his sentence.

"I should be leaving as well, Jiraiya-sama."

"Yeah." The man murmured, running a hand through his hair while turning toward the kitchen. "Have a good day, and take care of that brat, would ya? Something tells me Mizuki won't be the only one coming after him."

Sakura nodded, "Hai."

That much was obvious.

The moment "Akatsuki" discovered their first assassin failed, they were bound to send more, and when they did, it wasn't likely to be someone on Mizuki's level who showed up. The pinkette frowned, going over such thoughts in her mind as she too left the house.

She needed to watch over Naruto after all.

_-School Grounds-_

Naruto yawned, walking in through the front gate along with the arriving mass of students. From afar, his good friend Sora found him out, quickly running over to lightly jab the blonde in the ribs.

"Well, well… what's the occasion? It's not like you to show up to school on time!"

"Ah…" Naruto muttered incomprehensibly, scratching his ribs lightly as he formed a response. "There's no "occasion"… I just woke up early was all." He mumbled, earning a snicker from the boy instead.

"Heh, is that right? Iruka-sensei's gonna have a fit. I don't think you've ever arrived to a class on his on time."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto waved the boy off, "you said as much yesterday. There's no need for you to say the same thing over and over."

"Ouch. Somebody's cranky." Sora retorted, leaning in close to study the blonde's face, "What's the matter? You wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?"

"Ah… sorry…" Naruto apologized halfheartedly, "You could say I had a rough night." He frowned.

"You stay up all night studying, is that it?" Sora asked incredulously.

"_If you can call exchanging blows with a legendary ninja for eight hours studying, sure."_ Naruto thought with a sigh, "Yeah… something like that."

"Well," Sora smirked, patting the blonde on the back of the shoulder as they entered the class, "No worries! Since we're still a few days away from the exam you can snooze all you want!"

Naruto grinned. At least Sora had a point there.

He collapsed in his seat, taking no time to settle down in his desk and drop his head onto its smooth surface. He was just about to drift off when-

"No way, the dobe, here on time? Unbelievable!"

"Greetings Ami." Naruto drawled sarcastically, glancing at the girl from the corner of his eye. "You're looking pleasant today."

Ami Horuna, a vile girl who claimed to be the queen bee of Naruto's grade class. The blonde had once thought there might have been something fishy about her, due the suspicious similarity her last name held with the Haruno Clan. Those thoughts had soon been dashed however, upon his discovery that the girl was little more than an attention-seeking popularity whore.

"Hmph, like I'd want to be complimented by you, dobe!" she spat, tossing a hand through her asymmetrical purple hair nonchalantly. "Anyway, don't think that Iruka-sensei will give you any extra credit just for showing up to class on time for once! Besides, it won't matter in the end, _I'll_ still be the one with the higher score come midterms!"

"Hai, Hai…" the blonde yawned, "Now then, if you're about done, I'd really like to get some sleep here-"

Ami grimaced, slamming both her hands down onto the edge of the table, "Uzumaki! Don't think I'll let you get away with trying to brush me off! Just you wait! No one looks down on me and gets away with it! I'll make you pay for-"

"Ami." Naruto spoke calmly, looking up at the girl blankly.

The Horuna reeled back in surprise, blinking down at the boy in confusion. "W-What?"

"Go away. You're interrupting my sleep."

The girl's eyes flashed viciously, and she made to slam her hands down on his desk again. "Why you, damn Uzumaki-!"

"Alright everyone, get to your seats." Iruka called as he entered the room at the front, cutting Ami short before she could go into a tirade. "We have a lot to get through today, and not much time so let's hurry up and get settled in, alright?"

Ami huffed, giving a glare at the blonde that signified they weren't done before heading off to the corner with the rest of her friends. Naruto sighed as she left.

"_How annoying… why is she such a bitch?"_

He dropped his head down, waiting for his name to be stated during the traditional roll call. It was quite some time before it was, considering the use of his mother's maiden name Uzumaki. He was practically the last person called on the list.

"Uzumaki, Naruto?" Iruka sighed, already raising his pen to mark the boy tardy yet again.

"Here…" the boy yawned loudly, raising his hand from the back of the class.

"N-Naruto?" the man blinked in surprise, lowering his pen in shock for a moment before gathering his wits. "You're actually here?"

"Hai. Problem sensei?" he asked tiredly.

Iruka shook his head, his eyes still wide with surprise at the blonde's presence. "N-Not at all. In fact, this makes for a rather good change of pace. Let's see if you can keep up with it." He marked through the name, ensuring the boy was listed as present on the sheet.

"Now then, before we get started with today's lecture, I'd like to introduce a new student. It may seem a bit strange to have transferees in the middle of the school year like this, so let's all be sure to give her a warm welcome to the class, alright?"

Sora grinned eagerly, subtly jabbing Naruto in the ribs again, snapping the boy from his half-dazed state.

"You hear that pal? A new student, and it's a chick! Makes you wonder if we'll finally have a chance, right?"

"What?" Naruto drawled, staring at the boy in confusion. "New student? Today?" his eyes focused, brain running full speed to try and catch up with everything that had just been said.

New student. Female. Transfer in the middle of the school year.

He frowned.

"_I didn't see Sakura when I left this morning… she had been acting rather excited for the past week as well… Her initial reason for being here in the first place was to make sure I'd be protected… running errands for the Pervy Sage…."_ His cerulean blue orbs narrowed in suspicion. _"Impossible… would they really…? Well, I guess it makes more sense to transfer someone in than transfer another out… but, this might be a bit much….!"_

"Hey, pal, you listening?" Sora asked, "Iruka-sensei's about to bring her in!"

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment, steeling himself for what was to come while formulating a plan. No doubt Sakura and Jiraiya had talked this over numerous times. If she really was the person transferring in, then that meant they both would have agreed on it, meaning that there was some good to come out of this plan after all.

The blonde frowned.

That much was obvious. Not only would it allow Sakura to have eyes on him at all times, but it'd give her better foresight into his current mindset and character. She'd be able to observe him in action! But… was it really too much for them to have told him in advance? Now he didn't know how they wanted to handle this!

Would they act out their roles as they were, reunited childhood friends? Or would it be better for them to act as if they didn't know each other?

His jaw tightening in thought as the door slid open Naruto glanced up, watching as the pinkette entered the room silently, trailing behind Iruka.

She turned to face the class, catching his eyes in the process.

In that one moment, they had an unspoken conversation.

Just as Iruka opened his mouth telling the girl to introduce herself, Naruto declined his head slightly, the two of them deciding on a plan of attack.

"So, why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself to us Sakura-san?" Iruka smiled, "Likes, Dislikes, don't be shy."

The girl nodded, turning toward the class confidently before opening her mouth to speak.

"Hello," she greeted, "my name is Sakura Haruno. I like trivia games and studying medical material in my free time. My favorite foods are Umeboshi and Anmitsu, but I hate just about everything spicy I get my hands on. In the future, I hope to use my knowledge of medical studies to help heal those who find themselves injured after acting recklessly."

She exchanged glances with Naruto for a moment, but not long enough for anyone to notice. The blonde grinned sheepishly as Sakura bowed to the class.

"I know it may seem a bit strange for me to be transferring in at such a critical time of the school year, but due to the my parents' work, I find myself moving about rather often. I'll be staying with some friends of my parents for the duration of the school year, and it'll be strange having to adjust to meeting new people, so please take good care of me."

The class clapped politely, some of the boys a bit longer than the others. From the corner of the room, Ami frowned.

"Well, if you study hard I'm sure you'll be able to make your dream a reality." Iruka assured her before gesturing to the class. "Go ahead and find a seat Haruno-san, and we'll begin class."

The girl nodded at once, swiftly making her way to the back of the room toward a seat behind Naruto. His eyes narrowed as she passed him without saying a word; just as planned. At least it would have been, if he hadn't felt the weight of a paper note falling into his hands.

He glanced at it subtly. For a ninja like him, there was no risk of being caught.

'_Are you sure this is what you want?'_

He smiled lightly, shaking his head in bemusement. It was just like Sakura to be worried about him. He grabbed a pen, scribbling back a quick response as he felt her climb down into the seat behind him.

'_Yeah. Don't worry about it.'_

He heard a soft sigh from behind him. It seemed she didn't care for his decision all that much. He could understand her reasons. She had been away from him for half her life, and now he was effectively asking her to do the same thing yet again. It was bound to stress her out.

But they would be spending nearly all their time together at home as it was. He didn't want her to feel suffocated, especially not when she had yet to have to the civilian high school experience. He smiled to himself dryly, before setting his head down to get some sleep.

_-Several Hours Later-_

"Hey, new girl!" Ami's voice rang through the room at the end of Iruka's lecture, rousing Naruto from his exquisite nap, "Why don't you come sit with us?"

Sakura's head tilted toward them curiously, giving them a soft nod for a moment after another glance at the blonde mop of hair sitting in front of her.

"Alright." She agreed, standing from her seat and making her way over to the girls quietly.

She sat in the only open seat available, in the middle of the three most annoying girls in the school.

Ami, Kasumi, and Fuki.

The members of Iruka's class liked to call them the triad, in part due to their cruel and vicious nature with those they deemed "uncool". What many found humorous about the situation however was the fact that they themselves were not "all that". Most of their antics failed to garner any decent attention from the "in" crowd, and though Ami had attempted to join their clique on many occasion, she often found herself greeted with the same treatment she liked to give others.

Sora frowned as he watched Sakura descend into a conversation with the three, and he glanced toward Naruto worriedly.

"Ah man… and there she goes. If Ami's the one trying to get her claws in, there's no way either of us will have a chance with her." He sighed.

"Speak for yourself." Naruto muttered, knowing full well that Sakura wouldn't fall for any of the girl's lures and tricks.

Besides, knowing Ami, she'd likely just waste all her time badmouthing some poor soul who'd had the misfortune of crossing her.

"…and so I said, _"Like I'd want to be complimented by you, dobe!"_ and everyone started laughing." Ami squawked, "It was so amazing, you should have seen his face. He was like, so heartbroken!"

"I… see." Sakura muttered, listening to the conversation with a bored gleam in her eyes.

Honestly, she could have cared less what the purple-haired girl had to say. The only reason she was even there in the first place was because Naruto had decided it'd be better to act as if they didn't know each other for the time being. She didn't know why he bothered. Couldn't he see that the only thing worth going through all this trouble for was him? Certainly, she wanted to see what high school life was like; but she wanted to experience it with him, not with a group of muttering harpies who couldn't tell a kunai from a kitchen knife if it skewered them across the face! The pinkette sighed, blowing a stray strand of hair out her face as she turned her attention back to the conversation unfolding in front of her.

"…and then Iruka-sensei came in and broke us up." Ami smirked, folding her arms haughtily, "So, what about you Haruno? You got any good tales from where you're from? Where was that again…?"

"Ah… Tonika Village." Sakura murmured, giving the name of a town just outside Konoha's boundaries. "It's a small place, not much to do."

"I bet." Kasumi muttered from beside her, "That's right by Fire Country isn't it? I've heard of it. It's a famous tourist attraction because of that giant hole located around it, right?"

"_Hm…? She knows her geography."_ Sakura thought, giving her a firm nod, "That's right. Researchers still haven't decided whether it was manmade or not."

"Ah, well I could care less about that!" Ami broke in, not comfortable delving into conversations she didn't know a lot about. "I'm more interested in finding out why you sat where you did. There were a whole bunch of seats available you know? Don't tell me…" Ami's eyes narrowed with a smirk, "You plan on chatting up the dobe?"

Sakura blinked, "Dobe?" _"There's that term again…"_

"Right, right. You're still new so you don't know." Fuki broke in, leaning close to whisper quietly, as if everyone couldn't hear. "You see, that guy you sit behind is Naruto Uzumaki. He's a real troublemaker that one."

"Huh?" Sakura blinked in surprise, "Really?"

"Tell me about it." Ami sighed, throwing her hand through her hair in annoyance, "He's always holding up lectures with that tardiness of his, and then he still has the nerve to walk in and act like he owns the place! He's really just a pain in the ass with no friends, I'd bet that even that frustrating Sora is only nice because he pities the brat!"

There was a loud cracking noise, and the three girls turned towards Sakura.

"Hm? You feeling alright Haruno?"

"A-Ah…" the pinkette smiled sweetly. _Far_ too sweetly. "Y-Yes… I'm feeling just fine. So, you were saying?"

"Oh, right!" Ami grinned, eager to get back to bashing her favorite target, "He spends most of his time running around with some kid who is a few grades beneath us… what was his name again Fuki?"

"Hibari? No… Inari? I think?" the girl shrugged, "I wouldn't remember."

"Mm… Well, anyway, the point is he's such a bum, it's hard to believe he's still got the number three spot in the class," Ami huffed, "Obviously he must be cheating somehow. There's no way he can come in here and sleep all the time and still get all A's on the exams! That sort of thing just doesn't happen! And he spends all his time hanging out with little kids… it's so pathetic!"

A second loud crack. Again, the three girls glanced back at Sakura.

"Are… Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Kasumi repeated Ami's earlier question, glancing at the girl with concern, "You're not some kind of sick girl with some weird disease are you?" she asked, rearing back as if fearful from getting germs.

Sakura continued to smile sweetly, her face the epitome of happiness. "No, I'm fine, I assure you. And I'm not sick or anything like that."

"Anyway," Ami butt in once Sakura had again affirmed her healthiness, "the point is nothing good will come from hanging around that guy. Now that you understand, you should change seats while you still can and move over to sit by us!"

She clapped her hand down on Sakura's shoulder.

"Ah, I see. That would be the best thing to do wouldn't it?" Sakura asked sweetly, tilting her head kindly at the girl's touch.

"Yeah," Ami grinned, glad to see that she had finally broken through to someone.

"As if!" Sakura shrieked suddenly, drawing the entire class's attention.

Naruto looked up in surprise, his eyes going wide as he glanced at the scene in front of him.

"Don't look down on Naruto, SHANNARO!"

_-PtK-_

The boy and girl walked down the street in silence, neither quite sure what they should say to the other. After a moment, they looked at each other awkwardly for several seconds before glancing back at the road ahead.

"So…" Naruto began.

"So…" Sakura repeated.

Another brief moment of awkward silence broke in… until finally-

"I can't believe you punched her."

"She was badmouthing you," Sakura shrugged, "I wasn't just going to sit there and do nothing."

"Still though," Naruto muttered, "you punched her… in the _face._"

Another brief silence.

"What did it… what did it _feel_ like?" the blonde asked in wonder, glancing at the pinkette in awe.

Sakura frowned, holding up her right fist curiously and gazing at it, as if remembering the sensation.

"Squishy."

"Like… Like ramen?" Naruto asked curiously.

Sakura sighed, rubbing her brow calmly before answering her friend. "What is it with you and-? No Naruto, not like ramen. It was soft, and wet… like a _sponge_." She smiled slightly, "And you should have seen the look on her face after I did it! She was looking up at me with these big, teary eyes… like she was a kicked puppy or something."

Naruto laughed a bit, scratching his cheek in thought. "That… sounds like Ami."

Sakura smiled, dropping her hands back in front of her as she continued to walk beside the blonde. "So… I guess this means there's no need to hold back anymore, right?"

"Guess not." Naruto sighed.

With Sakura's having punched Ami for being rude, Naruto's strategy had been rendered all but moot. If it hadn't been him she had been standing up for, there would still have been a chance to salvage it but now…

"Yeah, you pretty much ruined everything with that punch of yours." The blonde smiled wryly, "You'll be able to act like my childhood friend as much as you want now."

"Good. I didn't care for that idea of yours all that much to begin with you know." Sakura muttered, giving Naruto a halfhearted glare, "Why would you even think about telling me to act like I don't know you? That'd be counterproductive to my mission. With this, I'll be able to keep you close at all times, Naruto."

The blonde sighed. "That was the point, Sakura. With us not knowing each other, there'd be no reason for us to interact in school. You'd be able to have some space. Since you'd be spending the rest of your day with me, I thought you'd like having a few hours where you could sit back and enjoy yourself without having to worry about me, you know?"

Sakura frowned, and stopped walking.

It took Naruto several steps to realize the girl was no longer trailing behind him, and he turned back, glancing at her worriedly.

"Sakura…?"

"What if I don't want space?" Sakura asked quietly.

Naruto blinked in confusion, "Huh?"

"Why would I want space?" Sakura questioned, approaching the boy with a steady frown plastered on her face, "I've… I've been separated from you for seven long years, Naruto." She stopped just in front of him, placing a hand on his cheek and smiling at him sadly. "Why would I want space from you, when it's only been a week since I've started to get to know you again…?"

"Sakura…" the blonde frowned.

"I've thought about you a lot you know… whether or not you loathed me for all this time. That's why, I was glad when I found out you didn't hate me. And even after all this time you were still just like I remembered…"

Naruto looked back at Sakura in surprise, a light blush crossing over his features as he listened to her speak.

Sakura allowed her words to trail off for a moment, closing her eyes and making as if to remove her hand, only to stop at the last moment and grab the blonde's cheek roughly.

"Which made me wonder… what all this nonsense was about being the class dobe. Dead Last, Bum? Your classmates sure do have some interesting nicknames for you, Naruto…" she grumbled darkly.

The blonde winced in pain as his face was pulled forward a few inches, Sakura pulling and pinching on his cheek with a deadpan look on her face.

"O-Ow… Hey, Sakura, cut it out already!" he hissed, freeing himself from the girl's grasp to rub on his bruising cheek soothingly. "What's the matter with you? What's this about?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Sakura replied in the same deadpan manner, setting her hands on her hips roughly. "What's all this about you being late all the time, Naruto…? I know better than to believe that girl's lies about cheating, as we dealt with harder material than this back when we were children… but… running late is definitely something I can see you doing."

"Oh come on… don't you have any faith in me?" Naruto tried weakly, turning away from the pinkette only to feel her dirty glare piercing through him from behind.

He hid the overwhelming urge he had to shiver.

"Well…" he admitted, "I… _may_ have gotten into the habit of going to classes a few minutes late…"

"Man," the girl sighed, frowning as she caught back up with the blonde, "and here I thought you actually might have matured a little. Naruto… it's not good to show up to classes late. What will your teachers think?"

"Well, you saw it was." Naruto shrugged, "I'm sure you must've been listening in when Iruka-sensei took roll. It's a habit."

"One you inherited from that perverted Jiraiya no doubt." Sakura muttered, letting loose a disappointed sigh before allowing a small smile to cross her face. "You really haven't changed, Naruto."

The blonde glanced at her curiously, tucking his hands behind his head relaxingly for a few moments before grinning back at her.

"You haven't changed either, Sakura-chan."

And in that moment, Naruto found himself skewered by several kunai.

Sakura's eyes went wide, leaping backward as several kunai landed where she was less than a second ago as well.

"Naruto-!" the pinkette started to shout, only to cut off when she realized what had happened.

The blonde's body vanished as it fell to the floor, leaving nothing behind but the pierced remnants of a brutalized, well-shaped log.

"_Substitution Jutsu!"_ Sakura thought, swiveling around as she grabbed a single kunai from her side pocket. _"In that case… there!"_

She launched it forward into a shaded tree, watching as a shaded silhouette leapt away into another pair of shadows.

The girl grimaced.

"_They're running away? Then-!"_

"Sakura, behind you!" Naruto's voice shouted out, catching her off guard.

Quickly she spun around, her eyes widening in surprise as a pair of gleaming chains sped toward her.

"Ngh!" Naruto grunted, appearing in front of her and knocking them away with his own kunai.

He was once again in his ninja gear.

"Be careful…" he warned, "There's two of them."

Sakura nodded solemnly, releasing the Henge technique that disguised her true clothing. In an instant the red shirt and light shorts she was wearing disappeared, making way for the kunoichi outfit she had prepared after arriving.

"Ho…" one of the voices belonging to their assailants murmured from above, "Looks like they may have some skill after all. I guess that report about Mizuki being defeated wasn't an entire lie."

"What should we do brother?" the second voice muttered, "Rip them to pieces, tear them to shreds?"

"I wonder…."

Naruto grimaced, pushing his back beside Sakura's as they scanned the area. _"Damn! I can hear them… but where are they? The sounds coming from all around us!"_

"Naruto," Sakura began, earning a firm nod from the blonde at her back.

"I know!" He hissed, glancing all around him.

"_Where are they? Left, Right, Above?!"_

Nothing but clear sky.

His eyes widened.

"-! Sakura!"

"Hai!"

They leapt upward in separate directions, and not a moment too soon.

From beneath them the earth broke, a gas-mask wearing shinobi erupting upward and swiping toward them with a steel gauntlet clad across his right hand.

"Nrgh…" the man grimaced as he fell back to the ground below, unable to hit either of them, "So you found me out."

"It would seem they do have some talent, brother." The second voice added, a similar looking shinobi emerging from the forests and moving to stand by the former, "Our efforts won't be wasted after all."

Sakura grimaced, stretching her glove in a preparative fashion before falling back into a ready position.

"Who are you two?! What do you want?!"

"Oh…?" the first shinobi asked, turning around to face the woman, "Of course, how rude of us to forget. We are Gozu and Meizu, the Demon Brothers of the Kirigakure Clan… or at least we were, until we took the Red Cloud's invitation to eliminate the Hokage apparent."

"_Red Cloud?!"_ Naruto thought, readying his kunai for battle, "Akatsuki! So you two worked with Mizuki!"

"Hmph, don't compare us to that wimp." The second brother, Meizu, grimaced. "We are far more powerful than he is, and we'll demonstrate that now."

The two brothers turned, both facing one of their opponents before they began demonstrating an identical hand seal.

That of the tiger.

"**Ninja Art:"** they spoke in unison, **"Hidden Mist Jutsu!"**

The sound could be heard of them exhaling, and in seconds the air had condensed rapidly, wrapping the area in a thick, cloud-like fog.

"_Crap!"_ Naruto grimaced, _"We won't be able to see them at this rate!"_

The sound of a weapon slinging toward him broke Naruto's thought, and he raised his kunai to defend himself just in time.

Meizu's masked face appeared from the mist, his eyes giving off the impression that he was grimacing at the boy beneath that gas-mask of his.

His gauntlet clattered against the edge of Naruto's steel nosily.

"Ngn, so it's you isn't it… Naruto Namikaze." Meizu grunted, attempting to weigh down on the boy with force.

Naruto grunted back at the man, slowly reaching for the hilt of his ninjato with his free hand.

"You Akatsuki peons seem rather focused on me," the blonde muttered, "What? Did dropping that friend of yours off the roof of a building leave an impression on the top brass?"

He felt his hand tighten around the blade, and he quickly swung it sideways, only for Meizu to leap back into the fog away from him.

The assassin chuckled.

"Not at all. Being the flesh and blood son of the Yondaime may have its perks, but it only means you'll be targeted that more often. It's too bad. You might've managed to live a bit longer, if you hadn't come across us."

Naruto's eyes went wide as he felt the man's presence appear behind him. He spun on his heel, his teeth clenching in frustration as he swung his blade in a swift arc, feeling its steel clatter against the man's gauntlet a second time.

"Tch… big words…" the blonde scowled, pressing his own feet inward to not give up any ground, "but can you back them up?"

On the other side of the street, Sakura was dealing with her own problems.

She ducked downward, allowing Gozu's claw to drift above her before leaping backward, only to feel her body crash against the walls signifying the street's edge. She scowled.

"Nowhere left to run, girl." The assassin mused, his eyes flashing dangerously as he drove his claw forward in a piercing motion.

Again the pinkette scowled, dropping her body to the ground in a hurry before sweeping her left leg out toward the man. Gozu leapt upward to avoid the sudden motion.

"_They clouded the area to make things easier for them, but they certainly aren't unskilled."_ Sakura thought, _"Even so… if I can land just a single hit…"_

Yes. Sakura's chakra-enhanced fighting style may provide slow attacks, but it made up for it with its destructive power. A single sharpened hit from the pinkette would be more than enough to destroy the floor of a building, and that was if she _wasn't_ trying. If he slipped up, Gozu knew he'd be in for a world of hurt.

He sped upward toward the branch of a nearby tree, flinging himself up and around it before shooting back down toward the girl's location.

The sound of rushing wind whizzed around him.

"_This is it for you, girl!"_ he thought, raising his gauntlet victoriously for a piercing blow.

Sakura's eyes flashed at the exposed killing intent, and she flourished into motion, moving her body to the side and allowing the steel claw to breeze past her location. Before Gozu could adjust himself for a second attack however, she grabbed his extended arm, swinging him over her before slamming him down into the earth below.

"**Don't look down on me, CHA!"** the girl thought violently, a small crater erupting upon the man's contact with the earth.

His mouth open wide with pain, several drops of blood flying from his lips as he felt several of his bones shatter upon impact. He laid beneath her, his eyes trembling in fear as she cracked her knuckles angrily.

"And now, for the finishing blow." Sakura muttered, rearing back her fist.

"SHANNARO!" she howled, slinging it downward in a mad display of strength and power.

As he felt the girl's fist make contact with her face, Gozu's world with black.

Naruto and Meizu both leapt apart upon hearing a small rumble erupt several meters away from them. The blonde grinned.

"Heh, sounds like Sakura-chan's dealing with that brother of yours just fine."

"Hmph, that may be so," Meizu agreed, "but it doesn't matter as long as I'm able to eliminate the target!"

He rushed forward, his eyes gleaming angrily as he began swiping at Naruto like a mad man.

"Che, what's that…? You're not even worried about your comrade?" the blonde questioned, dodging and leaping back through the blows skillfully.

As much as he hated to admit it, Jiraiya's daily training regimen had been useful in helping him avoid attacks.

"If Gozu was too weak to handle the target, then there was no point for him to be here." Meizu explained arrogantly, "And if he cost us the mission, he'll only find himself dead anyway!"

Naruto scowled, blocking another swipe of Meizu's claw before kicking his right leg down toward the man's gut.

"That kind of thinking… it's so backwards!"

Meizu coughed, falling back slightly as Naruto's foot made contact. He stumbled around for a moment, regaining himself before thrusting himself forward once more.

"Shut up!" the man snapped, "I don't need to hear the opinion of a dead man!"

Naruto's eyes gleamed dangerously as he leapt back.

"Someone like you," he stated confidently, landing and forming the cross seal, "will never be able to kill me! **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"**

Amongst the already thick fog the plumes of smoke were not even visible as hundreds of Naruto clones popped into being, all staring at Meizu with a single intention:

To squash him like a bug.

In his defense, Meizu did manage to hold off several of the clones for some time, a testament to his experience and training as a shinobi.

However, compared to the weight of the odds stacked against him, it was inevitable that the man fell eventually.

A horde of Naruto clones punched and kicked at him like an angry swarm, colliding with him blow for blow as he began to tire.

Sakura watched the scene from afar, her own battle having long been concluded. She was ready to jump in at a moment's notice of course, but she doubted Naruto would need the help.

The conclusion had come.

One of the Naruto clones finally managed to land a solid blow on Mizuki, launching him backward with a well-placed punch to the face.

It took next to no time for the clones to jump in on the action, swarming beneath him as he fell and kicking him upward to prevent his escape.

Meizu grunted in pain at the actions, his body soaring upward beyond his control as his eyes squinted open.

Above him, a single Naruto appeared, spiraling down toward him with an extended leg.

He scowled beneath his mask. It couldn't be…

The blonde's leg crashed down on Meizu's face, cutting any comment or retort he could think up short. Blood flew from his lips as he was sent crashing back down into the earth, his face slamming against the cold concrete delivering that much more damage to his being.

He didn't move.

"It's over!" Naruto decided, landing in front of his defeated opponent firmly and sweeping his arm to the side, "Don't underestimate the Uzumaki Barrage!"

There was no response, as was expected, but with no one left to maintain the technique, the unnaturally thick fog faded, returning to the sunny demeanor the area had prior to the Demon Brother's appearance.

"Stronger than Mizuki they said…" Sakura sighed, dragging the limp body of Gozu behind her and dropping it beside Meizu, "hardly. So, what do you think we should do with them, Naruto?"

The blonde sighed, running a hand through his golden locks as he frowned at the two curiously.

"We'll have that Pervy Sage deal with them… Doesn't he have people who deal with things like this?"

"Hmhmhm… indeed I do." The lecherous old man murmured, appearing behind the pair as if he were there the whole time.

"E-Eh?!" Naruto gawked, backpedaling away from the man before pointing at him accusingly, "P-Pervy Sage! When did you get here?!"

"I was here all along of course." Jiraiya mused, rubbing his chin in deep thought while glancing at the Demon Brothers, "I was willing to step in if it looked like you needed assistance but… it doesn't look like that was the case, was it?"

"Tch… I should've known." The blonde frowned, folding his arms impatiently, "There's no way you'd let someone get so close to the house without keeping an eye on them."

"But Jiraiya-sama," Sakura broke in, "If they showed up this close then doesn't that mean they know where we live? Shouldn't we take precautions?"

"Yeah, probably." Jiraiya nodded, "We know Naruto was being targeted, but I didn't expect them to send someone new to get the job done so quickly… It looks like we'll have to step up your training, Naruto. Well, at least it looks like you've got the basics down."

Naruto clenched his teeth, "Of course I did! Stuff like that is child's play! But… for a second there I was worried that that Hidden Mist Jutsu might be a problem…"

Jiraiya chuckled, "You need more training if you thought something like that would be a problem. But, even if it was, I doubt your cute little friend here would let anything happen to you, right Sakura?"

The girl's face flushed for several seconds, before closing her eyes and regaining her composure.

"Of course not," she answered, "I would have been able to protect Naruto at a moment's notice."

The Sannin just grinned in reply, heaving the two brothers over each of his shoulders before turning to leave.

"Well then, there you have it. I'll need to go deal with these two so…" he glanced back at them, "go on and head home, unless…" he tilted his head, "you two were planning to go on a date…?"

Naruto's eye twitched as Sakura blushed lightly, and the two of them turned to punch Jiraiya in the face.

""Shut up, you Perverted Sage!""

_-Elsewhere-_

"So… Meizu and Gozu were defeated."

"Hai, it appears the Namikaze is stronger than we anticipated."

"Heh."

The sound of a large sword smashing into the ground echoed through the room, and a pair of burning brown eyes pierced through the darkness.

"Interesting. Perhaps it wasn't a waste of my time to come out here after all. Fine. I'll let you have fun with this little plan of yours. But…" the eyes narrowed, "Don't disappoint me, Haku."

Before the pair of eyes, a kneeling figure rose, giving a soft nod of the head.

"Hai, Zabuza-sama."

* * *

_-Chapter Two-_

_**END**_


	3. Tusk

"Do you remember your mission?"

The mere voice of the figure alone sent shivers down the recipient's spine, despite their distance being over a hundred miles at the moment. However, instead of showing his fear, the figure grinned, revealing his fanged, pearly white canines to his employer.

"Yeah," the figure continued to grin, "it doesn't sound all that hard. And then there's the other part of the deal as well, right? If I do this, and happen to have to resort to _that _method… I'll really get the spot, right?"

The shaded employer nodded through the television screen they were speaking through, prompting the figure to grin even further.

"Indeed. Complete your mission while demonstrating the upmost loyalty and honor, and you will be well received upon your return home."

"Heh… loyalty? Honor?" the figure grinned, "Shinobi have no honor. I'll be sure to tell that to the Uzumaki when I see him."

The shaded being on the other side of the television seemed to scowl.

"Do not grow cocky, _boy_. Remember the outlines of your mission, and be certain you do not overstep your bounds."

The figure grunted.

"Yeah, yeah… I remember. I'm only here to observe whether or not that blonde is truly worthy of being Hokage, right?"

The television silhouette nodded.

"Indeed. But, if you'd recall there is a certain other clause beneath those priorities."

The figure's grinned increased, his fangs gleaming in the night as he recalled just what it was that the man was speaking about.

"Right… Clause 59B, right?" his grin increased, "In the event that I find Naruto Uzumaki incapable of being Hokage… I'm free to deal with him as I see fit. They used some loose wording there, but…" his eyes gleamed, "it's obvious what they all want."

"Oh?" the silhouette asked, "And what would that be, boy?"

"In the event Naruto Uzumaki is incapable of becoming Hokage…" the figure muttered, "I'll eliminate him and handle the job myself.

* * *

**NARUTO: Path to Kage**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**Tusk**

* * *

Naruto yawned softly, shrugging his bag over his shoulder gently as he prepared for yet another day of classes.

Surprisingly, despite his words, Jiraiya had opted to let Sakura and Naruto off training after their run in with the Demon Brothers, which meant that the blonde finally had the opportunity to get a full night's sleep.

It certainly had helped he mused, after that rough week he had, Naruto wasn't sure sleeping through Iruka's class was going to be enough to get him through the day.

He mumbled something incomprehensible beneath his breath as he stepped into the kitchen, grabbing the small slice of toast he'd prepared while getting ready for school.

"Sakura," he called over his shoulder, speaking between bites, "are you ready yet? I want to get going soon!"

"Coming!" the girl replied quickly, trailing into the kitchen behind him seconds after he finished speaking.

"Ah. So you're already here." Naruto noted, gulping down the last of his breakfast and glancing at the pinkette, "Ready for your second high school debut then? Everyone's gonna have entirely different reactions to you now, especially after what happened with Ami."

"It's fine." Sakura replied with a smile, "Besides, this way I won't have to pretend like I don't know you. It'll be better for both my mission and your wellbeing."

They stepped outside in the fresh air, a soft breeze passing through as they began the long trek to school.

"Better for the mission huh…?" Naruto thought aloud, several questions forming in his mind at the words. "Hey, Sakura. I've been meaning to ask you…"

"Hmm?" the girl asked, turning to look at the blonde curiously, "What is it, Naruto?"

"I know you've been sent here to guard me and all, but just how long is your mission supposed to last?" he asked curiously. "I can't imagine the brass back in Konoha would be too happy leaving their shinobi out for too long, they must have given you some sort of time frame, right?"

Sakura rose a finger to her lips in thought. "Well… I suppose you're right about that, but I guess you wouldn't know since you're still getting reacquainted to life as a shinobi." She turned towards him, waving the same finger gently as if she were lecturing someone, "While it does happen less than it did in the past, it's not uncommon for shinobi to be stationed away from their homes for years, if not decades!" she smiled, "At any rate, you won't have to worry about me leaving anytime soon, Naruto. My mission parameters state that I'm to remain as your escort and bodyguard until such a time that all threats to your person have been neutralized. With all the rumors about this Akatsuki organization floating about, it's likely I won't receive any changes until the entire organization has been destroyed or otherwise incapacitated."

"I see." Naruto replied, a small smile pulling at his lips. _"So she'll be here for a while then…"_

"Anyway," Sakura intruded upon his thoughts, moving in front of him and placing her hands on her hips, "Why'd you feel the need to ask me a question like that anyway? You wouldn't be trying to get rid of me would you?"

"Eh? Of course not." Naruto smiled back at her for a moment before allowing it to fall from his face, "To be honest… I've been getting a bit worried. These "assassins" Akatsuki has sent so far have all been either incompetent or weak… but Pervy Sage says they're likely to start sending more again soon. What happens when they send someone who we won't be able to keep up with?"

Sakura listened to his words quietly, placing a hand on his cheek only after he had finished speaking.

"Hey," she told him, "that's why we're training with Jiraiya-sama, to make sure you'll be ready in the event we come across an opponent stronger than ourselves. Besides, you're living under the same roof as a Sannin! As drunk and lecherous as he may be, I know he won't let anything bad happen to you, and neither will I for that matter."

She pressed her forehead against his, as if willing her feelings on the matter to get across.

"_Yes… this time Naruto… I definitely won't run away, no matter what the situation."_

Naruto smiled lightly, pulling away from the girl after he felt they'd been connected for some time.

"That's good and all Sakura," he replied smoothly, "but don't get ahead of yourself. There's no way I'm gonna just sit back and let you do all the work. I'm the one who's gonna be Hokage after all!"

"Hai," Sakura smiled back at him teasingly, "I definitely won't allow you to slack off, _dobe_-kun."

Naruto's lips parted slightly, his eyes widening in surprise as his mind registered what Sakura had just said.

"E-Eh? Hold on, what'd you just call me?"

Sakura just continued to smile, leaping away from him teasingly as they continued down the path to school.

"You better keep up, Naruto," she said, starting to create a little distance between them, "you wouldn't want to be late for school after all."

"A-Ah! Wait up, Sakura!" the blonde shouted, quickly making to run after her at full-speed.

From behind them, a small puppy watched them from the corner of the street through a pair of squinted, half-shut eyes. Behind him, a young man about Naruto's age grimaced, lowering the binoculars he'd been using to watch the two.

"Che… those guys…" he muttered, biting his thumb in annoyance, "they're just fooling around."

_-School Entrance-_

"-and goal!" Sakura exclaimed eagerly, kneeling down to look at the blonde who had been trailing behind her. "Oh come on, don't tell me you were tired out just from that little bit?"

"Hardly." Naruto sighed, staring at the girl in mild annoyance, "Mind telling me what that was about? It's not like you to want to run off all of a sudden."

"Oh please. I can be playful sometimes too, Naruto." Sakura explained, still grinning at him eagerly, "That being said, I will admit it did have its purposes." She glanced downward at a watch Naruto could have sworn she didn't have on her before. "We got here pretty quickly, even with us taking the "civilian" route. It only goes to show that Jiraiya-sama's training really is doing you some good. At the rating we're going, that half-hour walk to the house will be condensed to ten minutes in no time!"

"Ah… but Sakura," Naruto murmured, "I really don't mind the walk-"

"Oh, Sakura-chan, there you are!" a nameless girl from their class greeted, quickly making her way over to the pair with a bunch of other females from the class.

"E-Eh?" the pinkette asked, surprised by the sudden wave of attention she was getting.

"Sorry to interrupt," she apologized quickly, "I just hate breaking in on you reunited childhood friends and all, but we really need to borrow Sakura-chan for a moment!"

The girl's grabbed Sakura's arm forcefully, catching the pinkette by surprise as she was suddenly dragged off along with them.

"Eh? No, hold on one moment- Naruto-?"

The blonde smiled knowingly, waving after them as they began to approach the school doors.

"Don't worry about it Sakura. They're probably just going to ask how it felt to punch Ami." He pointed out, already knowing how the students worked. "We'll talk in class, alright?"

"What-?" Sakura asked, squirming amongst the female grips as she was pulled into the school along with the crowd, "But-? Hold on- I wasn't done talking to him yet-"

It was futile.

If there was one thing that not even a fully trained kunoichi could avoid, it was gossip.

Naruto sighed, watching the school doors close shut behind them as he lowered his hand.

"_She'll be fine."_ He told himself, a small bead of sweat running down the back of his head, _"Probably. Either way, Sakura was right about one thing. There's still quite some time before I'm needed in Iruka-sensei's class, so I guess I'll just go find Sora or something-"_

The blonde closed his eyes, adjusting his school bag accordingly before making to follow the rest of the crowd inside the school.

Unfortunately, a pair of feet in dark blue sandals cut him off, standing in front of him provokingly as the entrance courtyard began to empty.

"Not so fast, Uzumaki." The owner of the feet announced, prompting Naruto to look up.

He frowned, finding himself gazing into the eyes of a boy his side; two red fang-like markings running down the side of his face.

"I'm not about to let you get away so easily." The boy grinned.

Naruto stared at him for several seconds, taking in his appearance.

Short, spiky hair? Check.

Sharp, canine-like teeth? Check.

A dark grey hoodie loaded with black fur? Check.

Yes. It was obvious that this person was-

"Sorry… who are you?" Naruto deadpanned, staring at the boy in confusion.

The teen face-planted in surprise, grimacing as he slowly crawled back to his feet.

"A-Ah… not bad. You're just as skilled as they said you'd be… but, it'll take more than not being recognized to bring me down!" he exclaimed, pointing at Naruto dramatically.

"No. Seriously. Who are you?" Naruto continued to deadpan.

"Heh…" the teen grinned, showing off his fangs. "The name's Kiba. Kiba Inuzuka! And you should prepare yourself Uzumaki, because from this moment on, we're gonna be mortal enemies!"

"_Inuzuka?"_ Naruto thought, his eyes narrowing slightly in recognition, _"Isn't that one of the Konoha Clans? What's he doing all the way out here?"_

Kiba's grin darkened, "I can tell by the look on your face that you're confused. Well, let me spell it out for you. You see Uzumaki, some of the higher-ups aren't quite sure you've got what it takes to become Hokage, so they sent me down here to clear things up! Hmph, it was obvious that it was just a waste of my time." The teen crouched down on all fours, as if preparing an assault. "Get ready Uzumaki, because me and Akamaru are gonna- eh? Akamaru?"

The tension that had been in the air seconds earlier suddenly seemed to drain away as Naruto's would-be assailant leapt to his feet, glancing around for any sign of his wayward companion.

"C-Crap!" Kiba exclaimed, reeling back in shame and humiliation as he spotted his partner enjoying the attention he was being given by a pack of high school girls. "Akamaru, what're you doing? This is a really important mission here!"

"Looks like you're having problems with your pet." Naruto nodded, glancing at the Inuzuka with a disappointed look on his face, "How about we continue this later? Besides, as a Konoha shinobi you shouldn't be so eager to break one of the laws, right?"

"G-Guh…!" Kiba grimaced, glaring at the blonde angrily, "J-Just you wait Uzumaki! This is far from over!"

Before Naruto had a chance to reply Kiba had pulled a small sphere from his pocket and smashed it into the ground, enveloping the area in a thick, black cloud.

The blonde coughed, wiping away the soot as he heard several of the girls scream in surprise behind him. His eyes narrowed to adjust, but to no avail.

Both Kiba and the small dog were already gone.

Naruto frowned, glancing at the small remains of the smoke bomb that littered the grounds as the mild disturbance was noticed. He sighed after a moment, glancing up toward the sky in thought.

"What in the hell… was that about?" he thought aloud, shaking his head in confusion several times before disappearing inside with the rest of the slightly bewildered students.

He needed to tell Sakura.

"Eh? You were attacked by a shinobi?" Sakura asked wide-eyed, leaning beside Naruto's desk in thought after having had the situation explained to her.

"Yeah… he called himself Kiba Inuzuka… ring any bells?" Naruto asked.

"Mmm… nothing in particular." Sakura admitted, "But the Inuzuka Clan is part of the Konoha Group! Why would _they_ send someone to attack you?"

"That's what I'd like to know." The blonde sighed, "Actually… now that I think about it, that guy may have said something about some higher-ups wanting to make sure I was qualified for the position… You don't think this is some sort of test or something, do you?"

"Hardly." Sakura mused, "While such situations have arisen in the past, all of them involved ninja who had been informed beforehand of the attack, and received written instructions on what was expected of them. I should know, it's how we get promoted after all."

"You're certain they just didn't decide to switch things up for once?" Naruto asked her, receiving a firm nod from the girl in reply.

"Konoha isn't one to switch things up for the heck of it. I can't be certain, but with Yondaime-sama incapacitated some of the less desirable members of the Council may be doing as they please… we should tread carefully, just in case."

"Agreed." Naruto nodded.

"So… what are we talking about?" Sora asked, butting into the conversation upon his arrival into the classroom. "Man, talk about surprising, that's twice now you've shown up on time, Naruto. Huh?" Sora paused, turning to stare at Sakura for several seconds, "Hey, you're that girl who-"

"Yes," Sakura sighed, "I'm the one who punched Ami. I'll tell you about it later, but right now I'm trying to have a private conversation. So if you wouldn't mind…?"

"Ouch!" Sora grinned sarcastically, clapping Naruto down on the shoulder, "talk about painful. Does she treat all your friends this way, or is it just me?"

"Ah…" Naruto laughed sheepishly, "Sorry, sorry. Sakura, Sora. Sora, Sakura."

"E-Eh? You know this person Naruto?" Sakura blinked in surprise.

With everything that had happened yesterday, she hadn't really gotten the chance to study Naruto's high school relationships.

Sora grinned, slinging his arm around the blonde much to the latter's annoyance.

"That's right! We're best buds! Been hanging out ever since middle school!"

Sakura frowned at that, turning to stare at the dark-haired teen before glaring at him piercingly.

"_I see."_ She thought, _"Then that makes you… my rival!"_

A bolt of lightning flashed between them, and the pinkette chuckled for a few seconds.

"W-Well, that's nice and all, but Naruto and I bathed together when we were little!" she exclaimed, setting a hand on her chest as she spoke.

Naruto's eyes went wide as saucers, and he quickly stood to separate the two before things could get any stranger.

"O-Oi! Sakura, what do you think you're saying?!" Naruto whispered hurriedly, turning to see how the class had reacted to her "little" outburst.

As expected, many of the boys in the class had taken to glaring at him, no doubt thinking he had _defiled_ the poor girl in some way, shape, or form.

They couldn't have been further from the truth.

Even so, what surprised Naruto the most was the response they were receiving from the girls in the class. Of course, Ami and her two friends had taken to glaring at the two, the girl's face still sporting a dirty bruise from where Sakura had punched her the day before. However, their response was drastically different compared to the other females. Many of them the blonde had recognized from that morning, the same ones who had "kidnapped" Sakura for the morning gossip.

Their eyes were sparkling with adoration and awe.

"Oh that's so romantic!"

"We're cheering for you, Sakura-chan!"

"_U-Uh…?"_ Naruto frowned, _"What's up with this response…?"_

"Alright class settle down." Iruka stated, stepping into the room, "It's time to begin lecture. Ami, good to see you were able to make it to class." He glanced subtly between her and Sakura, "I take it there won't be any more _problems_ like there were yesterday?"

"Of course not sensei!" the two replied in unison, appearing far sweeter and good-natured than they felt.

Iruka nodded, taking their word for it.

"Good," he spoke slowly, "then everyone take your seats, and I'll begin roll."

The class's murmurs dimmed down to small whispers as they did what the man asked, returning to their seats so that he could begin class.

Seating herself in her acquired desk behind Naruto, Sakura began writing a small note addressed to the blonde, passing it toward him with the upmost stealth and precision.

Naruto blinked as he stared at the words on the page.

'_So, what are you going to do about the Inuzuka?'_

The blonde ran a hand through his hair, thinking it over before scribbling a response.

'_I'll wait and see. Do you think he'll prove to be a big problem? From what I've seen so far he seemed kind of… how do you say, stupid?'_

Sakura stared at the note silently, rubbing her chin in thought before sending the blonde a reply.

'_That only means you should be even more wary of him. You know what they say, "Beware the idiot shinobi who wears his intentions on his sleeve. For while he may appear foolish and incompetent, you may never know what secret he may hold."_ _In other words, just because he appears to be a bumbling buffoon doesn't mean he really is one.'_

Naruto sighed.

'_Fine, I got it. Really though, I'm not sure this Kiba guy is all that dangerous. He couldn't even bother to attack me like a proper ninja would… and his dog got distracted by some girls….'_

Sakura stared at the note for a few seconds before sighing, writing back one last response.

'_Listen, just… be careful alright? We still don't know what this guy is up to.'_

The blonde looked as though he was about to write something else, but Sakura jabbed him with her pencil lightly, cutting him off. He glanced back at her through the corner of his eyes, watching her shake her head. An unspoken conversation passed between them.

"_Not know. We'll finish this discussion later. Class is about to start."_

Naruto sighed, dropping his head onto the surface.

So even Sakura wanted to study.

Great, just great.

_-PtK-_

Despite Sakura's intentions, Naruto was rendered unable to get a word in with her due to the constant, nagging presence of the class's gossip girls.

Due to yesterday's events, the pinkette had become something of a celebrity amongst the classroom, known as the one who finally gave Ami what she had coming. It had been humorous at first, watching the girl deal with the sudden attention she was used to avoiding, but after three class breaks, it had become incredibly irritating.

Class had finally let out, and _still_ Naruto couldn't hold a private conversation with her!

He grunted in mild annoyance as he watched the girl glance at him apologetically, attempting to drive off her surprisingly powerful fans.

The hallways, the roof, it didn't matter where they went.

Somehow, someway, someone was _always_ there!

It was maddening.

"Having some problems?" Sora asked him curiously after Iruka had left the class for the final time, dismissing lecture for the day.

"Yeah… I never knew the school's grapevine could be so demanding… they're really going at Sakura-chan. Can't even so much as talk to her without someone butting in."

"Ah, well… what do you expect when dealing with someone who punched Ami of all people?" the dark-haired teen grinned, clapping his pal on the shoulder soothingly, "Anyway, don't worry so much about it. You know how things are, they'll likely let up on her and find something else to gossip about in a day or two. But I do have to say I'm surprised…" Sora mumbled, rubbing his chin in thought, "I never took you as the kind of person who'd bathe with another…"

"G-Guh…" Naruto sweatdropped, grabbing Sora by the collar and throttling him angrily, "Shut up! We were five!"

"Oh?" Sora questioned, gaining a suave look to his face as he gave a calculating response, "Getting in close while they're still young huh? Not a bad plan."

Naruto whacked him upside the head.

Sora cried out in response, gripping his head lightly while continue to smirk at the blonde.

"A-Ah… you wound me…" he stumbled backward dramatically, tossing his head back and allowing his hair to drift through the air, "But… don't think I'll let you get away with a free hit again, you little shit!"

The two of them slammed their foreheads together angrily, glaring fiercely as they grabbed each other by the scruff of their neck.

"What'd you just say, you bastard-!"

"Little prick, you wanna go-?!"

The two glared into each other's eyes, both knowing they weren't going to get anywhere. It was common for the two to act in such a way every so often, though it usually only happened after Naruto made a scathing remark about Sora's latest attempt to pick up a girl.

The door opened behind them.

"Heh, so you're still just fooling around and having fun, eh Uzumaki?"

The words snapped the two boys from their heated battle, both turning in unison to glance at the source of the voice. Naruto's eyes widened slightly in recognition.

"You are-"

It was Kiba.

The hoodie-wearing shinobi grinned eerily, his small dog seated atop his head at it too stared at the two boys, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

"Huh? Naruto? You know this guy?" Sora asked, pointing at Kiba lamely.

All signs of their earlier irritation with each other was gone.

"Yeah… you could say that." Naruto replied, a small bead of sweat rolling down the side of his head.

Kiba continued to grin, "You've been holed up in here all day, but I knew you wouldn't be able to hide forever. Now that your class is over with, I'm gonna deal with you promptly!"

"Ah, before all that," Sora butt in, pointing to Akamaru "I have to ask… what's with the dog? You know pets are prohibited on school ground, right?"

"Shut up!" Kiba snapped, howling at the boy angrily, "Akamaru's not a pet! He's my partner! Ain't that right boy?"

The dog on his head yipped once, giving a firm nod of its head.

"_That's right…"_ Naruto frowned, thinking back to what he knew about the Inuzuka Clan, _"Each of their members are supposed to partnered up with one of the Clan Canines when they're little. They spend all their time together… growing up to be the perfect tag team!"_

Quickly, the boy glanced toward Sakura's last known location, only to be greeted with the sight of an empty chair. His frown darkened.

Damn.

Those girls must have already removed her from the classroom. The one time something important was happening-

"Sora," the blonde spoke solemnly, "Do you mind hanging back for a bit? This guy and I have something to discuss."

"Huh? Well, I guess I can…" Sora muttered, tilting his head toward Naruto curiously, "But… are you sure you don't want me to get a teacher or something? This guy looks like some kind of delinquent."

"What was that?" Kiba asked, raising a brow as he threw on an unamused look, "I'll show you a delinquent you little-"

Naruto cut him off.

"Nah. That sort of thing won't be necessary. I just have some unfinished business with him is all."

"Heh, glad to see you're as eager to settle things as I am," Kiba grinned, "Now, how about we go somewhere private?"

"Yeah." Naruto grimaced, "I know a place."

Kiba grinned, and he followed the blonde out the room.

Sora watched the two leave with a small frown, tilting his head at the blonde's back as he disappeared out the door.

"Naruto… you've gotten involved with weird people, haven't you?"

_-Later-_

It didn't take long to arrive at Naruto's intended destination. If he was going to deal with this person, it was only obvious he'd want to do it somewhere he knew, somewhere he'd have the advantage.

And what better place was there than where it all began?

And so, the two shinobi found themselves on the rooftop just beneath the construction site, the same location where Naruto had defeated Mizuki a week prior.

Kiba grinned, his arms folded eagerly as he faced the blonde from across the roof.

"Not bad! I'll admit I was a bit worried when you said you knew a place, but this… it's quiet, isolated… the perfect place for shinobi like us to do battle."

Naruto's eyes gleamed darkly, dispersing the Henge that hid his uniform as he glared back at the Inuzuka.

"Isn't that my line? For a shinobi you sure aren't all that worried about breaking the secrecy clause. What were you thinking, approaching me in the front of the school like that, are you an idiot?"

Kiba just grinned in reply, setting a hand on his hip as Akamaru leapt down beside him, bristling in preparation for a fight.

"Of course not. That scene of mine was just a distraction to make sure everything was proceeding as planned. In case you're wondering, it has. You're here alone now, aren't you?"

Naruto's eyes widened a fraction of an inch. What did he mean by that? Had this all been part of his plan from the very beginning?

"I can see you're confused." Kiba smirked, raising a hand in explanation, "What? You don't think that those girls would've been that interested in that bodyguard of yours on their own, did you?"

Finally, it made sense.

The reason why they had always shown up whenever he tried to discuss important things with Sakura, why they continued to drag her around against her will! They were civilians, so of course using shinobi techniques to escape them would've been highly frowned upon… but, how?

"You-!" Naruto grimaced, his eyes steeling somewhat as he fell into a battle position, "What did you do?!"

"Heh…" the Inuzuka grinned, "Genjutsu."

"_Genjutsu…?"_ Naruto thought, _"An illusion…?"_

"There's tons of abilities out there that can affect another's mind and body," Kiba explained, sliding his hands down into his pockets boringly, "my sensei knew a rather interesting one that intensified the interest someone has in a person or object. It was child's play casting it on those ignorant girls. Right now, I'd say that Sakura chick's about the most interesting thing happening in their world right now. They're not likely to take their eyes off of her for quite some time. Which of course means, that she'll have a much harder time keeping her eyes on you. And so… here we are, on this rooftop, you, alone and isolated. That girl won't be able to protect you."

Heh.

At that moment Naruto realized he had severely underestimated the person before him. He'd actually put some thought into it, and created a plan designed to isolate his target and keep him away from any source of help.

The blonde leaned down, clapping his knees to keep himself steady as a small laugh escaped from his lips.

Kiba frowned at the sound, a fierce glare forming in his eyes as Naruto leaned back upright.

"Ah… not bad." The blonde laughed, "You're a lot smarter than I gave you credit for. I guess Sakura-chan was right when she said I should be careful. But…" he steeled himself, glaring at the Inuzuka fiercely. "If you think I'm gonna go down easy, you have another thing coming."

Kiba grinned at that. The words for battle had been spoken.

"We'll see about that!" he grinned, kneeling down and forming a tiger seal. "Let's go Akamaru!"

The dog yipped, leaping on top of Kiba fiercely as his eyes zeroed in on Naruto's form. The Inuzuka grinned, a small gleam shining in his eye.

"**Imitation Art: Beast Human Clone!"**

A wave of blue force erupted around the two, the chakra required for the technique becoming visible. A small plume of smoke erupted seconds later, and when it cleared, the small dog was gone. In its place was a Kiba clone, looking just as ferocious and eager as the original.

They both opened their mouths to speak at the same time.

""So, how do you like our cloning technique? The Beast Human Clone, a specialty handed down through the Inuzuka Clan for ages! Face it Uzumaki, with Akamaru on my side, there's no way you can keep up with me!""

Naruto smirked. Certainly, the idea was interesting enough. Training an animal to use ninja techniques. But, Kiba was far too cocky! If he thought creating a single clone was impressive, just wait until he saw what Naruto could do!

"Sorry to disappoint you, Kiba." Naruto muttered, "But, you have it backwards. Even with Akamaru… there's just no way you'll be able to keep up with me!"

He formed the cross seal, and Kiba's eye narrowed.

""I don't think so!"" the two Kiba howled, dashing forward in an impressive display of speed.

They tore through Naruto's location like a wild storm, their claws ripping through the air in an attempt to dissuade the blonde from using any techniques. In light of their movements, Naruto had to agree. They had arrived before he could even gather chakra for his jutsu, and he was forced back.

"Tch… too fast huh."

""We told you, there's no way you can keep up with an Inuzuka!"" one of the Kiba grunted from behind the blonde, sweeping him off his feet.

Naruto's eyes went wide, his body sailing in the air as he began to fall.

"_T-They're fast-!"_

Quickly slamming his hand to the ground to shift himself into a handstand, Naruto swung his leg out to the side, catching one of the Inuzuka by the cheek.

Kiba grunted, crashing to the ground before leaping back up just as quickly.

"Get him Akamaru!" the boy howled, his clone moving into position.

Naruto's eye gleamed, and he turned around, only to receive a slashing claw against his face, pushing him back even further.

"G-Guh…" he hissed, touching the area briefly before pulling his hand away.

Somehow he had managed to avoid the full blow.

"You understand yet Uzumaki?" Kiba asked, "You can't keep up with Akamaru and me! Give up on being Hokage, and I might spare you an early grave!"

"Che…" Naruto grunted, steadily reaching for his ninjato. "Give up?" he asked, narrowing his eyes angrily. "What are you going on about…? We're just getting started!"

Kiba trembled in rage, "Why you-! Fine! Akamaru, we'll finish him with this!"

The Kiba clone nodded, and they again dropped on all fours, sprinting toward Naruto full force.

Their claws gleamed as they neared the target, and at that same moment, Naruto too sprang into action.

The cold, concise swipes of his blade trailed through the air, as did the path the Kiba claws took. The three of them landed on opposite sides of the roof, their backs turned to one other.

"You're quick," Naruto muttered, "but you telegraph your moves."

Kiba winced, feeling the small stinging sensation as the center of his hoodie was torn open, revealing a small cut. He stumbled forward a single step, but didn't fall.

"Che…" he grunted, "That's my line."

Naruto too stumbled forward a step, his left leg tearing open from a claw mark he'd received from the pair's attack.

Akamaru yipped.

The three of them turned at the same time, their eyes gleaming dangerously as they launched toward each other for another attack.

They clashed in the center of the roof, steel meeting chakra-enhanced claws that made such contact possible. Naruto turned, swinging his blade to the right along with him as Kiba leapt back, allowing Akamaru to take the lead.

The Kiba clone grunted as he knelt down beneath the blow, swiping at Naruto's midriff only for the blonde to leap out of range as well. The blonde had only just landed when he tossed several kunai out toward the pair, forcing them both to make a hasty retreat.

Naruto wouldn't let them.

Having attached a rope to one of the kunai, he swung upward, changing the arc it flew in at the last second and watching it wrap around the Kiba clone's leg.

He pulled.

With a loud cry, the Man-Beast clone crashed back into the roof floor violently, prompting Kiba to cry out in rage. The Inuzuka landed gracefully before launching himself forward at Naruto angrily, swinging at him several times before finally forcing the blonde to leap away yet again.

"Akamaru!" Kiba shouted, "You alright boy?!"

The small dog staggered back to its feet, the transformation having been thrown off by the sudden impact. It waited a moment, before giving Kiba a firm, determined nod.

The Inuzuka grinned, leaping back down beside his partner.

"Good!" he began, reactivating the technique, "Then I think it's about time we took this a little more seriously."

He withdrew a small batch of pills from his pockets, keeping his eyes on Naruto's focused form at all times.

"_Those pills… what are they?"_ Naruto wondered, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Kiba grinned, and then tossed a pair to Akamaru, allowing the clone to munch on them hungrily before taking a pair himself.

Almost immediately another wave of chakra overtook them. Their already animalistic features grew even more feral, their bodies crashing down on all fours as if they were truly no more than beasts.

Kiba grinned up at the blonde, knowing he had no clue what was going on.

He certainly wasn't going to explain.

Again Akamaru leapt up on top of Kiba, and together they formed yet another hand seal.

"Heh, I hope you're ready Uzumaki, because now you're really in for a world of pain!" Kiba explained, "Let's go Akamaru, **Gatsuuga!**"

The second he said the word a great wind funneled around them, masking them in a swirling, tornado-like substance. Both Kiba and Akamaru began to spin in place for several seconds, the wind around them only increase with each rotation before taking off like a great storm.

They tore through the concrete of the roof like it was nothing, spinning and swirling their way upward toward the crane where Naruto stood.

The blonde's eyes went wide.

They were upon him before he even knew what had happened.

In a single moment the one of the tornadoes plowed into him, shredding into him and driving him off the crane back toward the roof. His back slammed into the floor, blood flying from his lips just before the second appeared, bashing into his exposed right arm.

He cried out in pain, the tornado fading to reveal a larger, fiendishly red Akamaru who bit deep down into his skin.

"You… damn mutt…!" he grunted, pulling up reserves of energy to swipe at the dog with his blade.

Akamaru leapt back quickly, avoiding the edge by a hair's breadth. He landed back by Kiba, growling at Naruto angrily.

The Uzumaki panted softly, steadily climbing back to his feet before readying his blade yet again. His right arm hung loosely by his side.

"_Damn…! What was that…? I could barely keep up!"_ Naruto thought, squinting his eyes toward the pair as they rushed him yet again. _"My right arm… useless!"_

He felt the sudden blow of a punch crash into his chin, knocking him upward.

Slowly, Naruto began to descend, his body falling back as his vision blurred for a brief moment.

"_Eh…?"_

Despite it all, he saw a large figure suddenly appear above him.

"Take this Uzumaki!" Kiba howled, driving his feet into the blonde's gut and smashing him into the ground below.

The two remained there for several seconds, neither saying a word.

Kiba's lips curled upward.

"It's my win, Uzumaki."

The blonde dispersed into a shattered log.

"!"

"_Damn!"_ Naruto thought, glancing at the pair with wide eyes as he hid around the corner, wrapping his right arm in a wrap torn from his kunai holster. _"That could've been the end of it if I hadn't been paying attention!"_

"Uzumaki…!" Kiba grunted, glancing around the area angrily, "You think you can hide from me?! Fat chance! We're Inuzuka you know! We can smell you! We know you're still here!"

Naruto grimaced.

"_He's right. I won't be able to keep up at this rate. So… while I'm hidden here I'll…"_

He exhaled softly, and formed the cross seal.

"Damn that Uzumaki…" Kiba grunted, scanning the area for any sign of him, "He thinks he can just run away…?! Akamaru, how about you? Have you seen anything?!"

The dog whined, bending down and covering its nose in confusion. It didn't understand what was happening.

Suddenly, two shadowy figures leapt out from behind them, each brandishing a single kunai.

The two Inuzuka turned quickly, swiping their claws at the assailants and knocking them into the open.

"Che… so he made a clone." Kiba growled, glancing at the two Naruto that now faced them.

"Yeah, that's right." One of the Naruto smirked, "And this one doesn't need some mutt as a base. Anything you can do I can do better."

"Why you-? Don't insult Akamaru!" Kiba scowled, rushing forward with is partner close at his heel.

Again, they disappeared into a swirling mass of wind.

"**Gatsuuga!"**

The Naruto smirked, leaping back slightly before being nailed with the dual combo.

He faded away with a soft 'pop'.

"Damn! So that was the clone?!" Kiba snarled, turning around and racing toward the other one. "Then you-!"

He swung his claw out vibrantly, tearing through the second Naruto and smirking.

That blonde faded as well.

"Both of them?!" Kiba asked in shock.

Akamaru again whined.

"!"

Kiba glanced up, watching as a horde of Naruto suddenly leapt out from their hiding places, swarming the pair from all sides.

""Didn't I already say it Kiba?"" they all asked, ""Anything you can do, I can do better!""

And the blondes charged.

Kiba and Akamaru grunted as they attempted to deflect and parry the blows to no avail. There were just too many of them.

"_How did he make so damn many?!"_ Kiba thought, grimacing as he felt another crushing blow slam into his side. _"And even worse, they're all solid! How in the hell-?"_

His thoughts were cut off as one of the Naruto swung their leg around in an arc, catching Kiba by the chin and kicking him to the ground.

"G-Gah!"

Akamaru growled, lunging toward the blonde who managed to nail his partner only to be knocked aside from an attack from the side.

""Give up Kiba, there's no way you can keep up with all of us!"" the Naruto mob mimicked, repeating words from earlier.

"L-Like I'd give up that easily…!" Kiba scowled, wiping the blood from his mouth with his sleeve. "Let's go Akamaru! Once more!"

They both leapt to their feet quickly, the tornado again appearing as they spun around in a circle.

"**Gatsuuga!"**

The many Naruto cried out as they were blown away by the sheer force of the technique, several dispersing upon impact with different parts of the roof.

One last Naruto appeared at the edge of the roof, glancing at the pair solemnly.

"It's over, Kiba." Naruto exclaimed, "I've seen your move three times now! I know just how fast it goes, and how long you can use it… You won't be able to hit me again."

Kiba growled, taking a step toward the blonde, "What'd you just say?!"

"You heard me. There's no way you'll be able to hit me with that again."

"Heh, wanna bet?" Kiba grinned, raising his hand confidently.

Again, streams of wind began to wrap around him.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. So he was going to try anyway. That was fine. It was why the blonde had made sure to stand right where he was after all. Given their distance, and how long Kiba seemed to be able to keep up the technique…

"**Gatsuuga!"** came the Inuzuka's howl, the twin tornadoes rushing toward them, masking Kiba's and Akamaru's presence.

Naruto's eyes gleamed, and the blonde leapt upward, allowing one of the tornadoes to pass beneath him…

Right off the edge of the building.

Kiba's eyes went wide as the technique faded, and he found himself watching Akamaru descend from the building toward the streets below.

"No! Akamaru!" he shouted, leaping after the dog.

"!"

It was strange, how it happened.

The three lay over the edge of the building, hanging for their lives as Akamaru whined from below.

Kiba had managed to catch the pup before he was out of reach, but only barely, and at extreme risk to his own life.

It had only been on a whim that Naruto had caught the boy by the ankle… probably.

"Idiot!" Kiba squawked at the blonde, struggling to get out the grip, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Shut up!" Naruto countered, tightening his grip on the Inuzuka's ankle despite the pain coursing through his right arm, "Do you wanna die?!"

"What was that?!" the Inuzuka roared back, "What business do you have trying to save me anyway?! I just tried to kill you a minute ago you know?!"

Naruto remained silent for a moment, pondering the thought in his head. The Inuzuka did have a point. He could have just as easily let the teen fall, and no one would have blamed him. He closed his eyes, before tightening his grip once more.

Like he'd do that sort of thing.

"Yeah, you're right." He said instead, "You did just try to kill me. But, you said you were from Konoha, right?"

Kiba's eyes narrowed, and he stopped struggling as much.

"That being the case," the blonde continued, "no matter how much you roar and complain about it… that still makes us comrades. And as someone who plans to be Hokage… I just can't sit by and let a subordinate die without doing anything, now can I?!"

Kiba's eyes went wide in surprise.

Loyalty… Honor… he had thought ninja were above such things.

He had forgotten.

"Heh… Uzumaki, you're really something, you know that?" Kiba asked, hanging limp as Naruto slowly began to heave him up.

The blonde grunted in annoyance, leaning back with all his might to pull the Inuzuka back to the edge.

"And you're…really…heavy…!"

The two sighed in relief as they fell back onto the solid concrete, panting heavily as they stared up into the night sky.

Neither said anything for several seconds.

"So… you really plan to do it huh?" Kiba asked finally, earning an annoyed glance from Naruto. "You really plan on becoming Hokage."

The blonde exhaled softly, continuing to catch his breath. It looked like the battle was over.

"Yeah. I do."

"It's a long road." Kiba told him, "There'll be others like me, tons of people who will get in your way."

Naruto leaned upward, thinking things through once more before glancing at Kiba confidently.

"Who cares about all that stuff? If there's an obstacle in my path, then I'll just break through it. If there's something I can't do, I'll figure it out anyway, because I _will_ become Hokage. It's my dream…" he reached out toward the sky, closing his fist as if catching it with his fingers, "and I _will_ make it a reality!"

Kiba smiled lightly, closing his eyes after listening to the blonde's words.

"Your dream huh?" he thought aloud, leaning upward. "Fine, I got it. I'll put in a good word for you."

"Eh? What?" Naruto asked.

"Don't make me repeat myself." Kiba grunted, "But yeah. I'll… say you did good. You managed to best Akamaru and me after all, and not just anyone can do that." His eyes narrowed, "But you better not start slacking off, you hear me? Because Akamaru and I will be right behind you, watching you like a hawk! And if we see your skills slipping…" he crushed his palms together, "we'll definitely be there to _crush_ you!"

"Yeah… whatever?" Naruto deadpanned.

"What the hell's up with response?!" Kiba shrieked, quickly climbing back to his feet. "Whatever. I'm leaving… come on Akamaru!"

He began walking to the exit, the small dog limping behind him.

"Ah, hold on a second!" Naruto called after him, making to stand as well.

Kiba raised a brow, stopping at the door.

"What?"

"Those girls… you still have to release that Genjutsu!" Naruto exclaimed.

Kiba stared at him for a couple seconds before breaking out into a small laugh.

"Oh? That?" the Inuzuka chuckled, "I just made that up. There's no way someone who specializes in Ninjutsu like me could perform such a complicated Genjutsu. High school girls are crazy man, you should know that."

He walked down the stairs, giving the blonde a nonchalant wave before leaving the scene.

Naruto stared after him for several seconds, the impression of a competent, powerful shinobi shattering in his mind.

"That guy…" he muttered, "he really is… an idiot."

* * *

_-Chapter Three-_

* * *

_**END**_


	4. Threatened

It was freezing.

Alone on a plain of ice, the boy walked forward through the blizzard.

The thorny snow prickled on his skin upon touch, and he shivered, but didn't stop. He didn't know why, but he knew he had to keep moving forward. It was the only thing he could do to stop himself from succumbing to the cruel environment nature had placed him in.

And so he marched forward.

He took another step.

And another.

Always alone on that plain of ice.

Glancing forward, he spotting a small, dimly lit cottage in the distance.

Was that his destination?

Was that where he was meant to be?

Steeling himself, the boy marched onward, feeling a renewed vigor fill his bones now that his goal was in sight.

He took yet another step.

And another.

How long would it take him to reach his goal, now that it was finally within his reach? He didn't know. But still he kept going, ignoring the chilling sensation each snowflake had on his body.

Why oh why hadn't he been dressed for winter weather?

He reached his arm outward toward his goal.

Finally, finally, he was almost there.

And the snow became ice.

The cool, chilling sensation he'd felt intensified tenfold, and the boy found himself slipping backward, collapsing onto the icy tundra that now rested beneath him.

It cracked under the impact.

His eyes widening, the boy tried to climb back to his feet, but the slippery floor would not allow it.

Again he tripped.

And again the icy floor cracked.

He had only just tried to climb back up when it shattered beneath him.

Cry out, he felt himself descend into the freezing water below, sinking further and further into the darkness. He could feel his body begin to shut down, no long able to cope with the cold temperature of the environment.

He closed his eyes, and allowed the cold depths to envelop him whole.

* * *

**Naruto: Path to Ninja**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**Threatened**

* * *

"Naruto…"

"Naruto."

"Naruto!"

The blonde grimaced, raising his head off the desk to glance at the unamused gaze of his childhood friend.

"Sakura…?" he asked, leaning upward and rubbing at his eyes, "What is it? What's wrong?"

The girl frowned, setting her hands on her hips as she stared down at the blonde.

"What do you mean what's wrong? You slept through all of Iruka's lecture again!"

"Ah." Naruto yawned, "Sorry, sorry. What happened, did I miss something important?"

"Well… no…" Sakura admitted, "But, you should still be taking your studies more seriously!"

"Man Naruto, you should listen to her." Sora drawled from in front of them, smiling at the pair, "What I wouldn't give to have a girl worrying about my academics… besides my mother of course."

He shivered.

"When I think about that frying pan…"

The door slid open forcefully, and Naruto sighed, already knowing what who it was.

"Heh! If a frying pan is all you're worried bout then you're way too weak!" Kiba grinned, folding his arms haughtily as he descended upon the group. "Besides, there's an old woman back at my home who'd do _more_ than beat me down when I failed an exam!"

"No one cares, Kiba." Naruto muttered, turning his head around to stare at the Inuzuka, "What are you still doing here anyway? Shouldn't you have left a while ago, or something?"

"Nah," the teen replied, smirking as Akamaru's tail appeared below his hoodie, "_They _said I'm not allowed to come home, so I transferred into the next class over."

"Hmm, that so?" the blonde replied, glancing back toward the front of the room, "That's fine I guess. Just don't go doing anything stupid again."

"Like I need you to tell me that, Uzumaki!" Kiba snapped. "But don't think I've given up! Just you wait, next time I'll do more than just injure-"

A glare from Sakura cut him off. The boy was being far too loud, especially for their being in a classroom that was still populated by clueless civilians. The three ninja in the room glanced toward Sora warily.

The boy began to deadpan.

"W-What're you all looking at me like that for?"

"Ah, it's nothing Sora." Naruto assured him, waving off his concerns, "But… if classes are over then there's no reason to stay around here anymore. I'm going home."

He made to stand, soon followed by Sakura.

"Eh?" Sora blinked in surprise, "You're leaving already?"

"Yeah. There's some stuff I have to do. You know how it is with that godfather of mine." Naruto explained.

"Hmm…." His friend murmured, starting at the blonde intently, "Don't you think he's been asking a lot of you lately? You should learn how to tell him no every once in a while."

"E-Eh?" Naruto asked, acting clueless, "Really? But I can't do that, then what would Sakura do?"

"What?" Sora asked, raising a brow curiously, "What's she got to do with this?"

"Ah, sorry, sorry." Sakura broke in, seeming apologetic, "But Naruto's godfather still has him showing me places, that's why it's been so hectic for him lately."

"That's right." Naruto explained, "We still have much of Nami no Kuni to explore, so we have to get going as quickly as possible!"

It had been one of many escape routes planned when dealing with civilians. Of course, it was one that couldn't be used too often, and it would be nigh impossible to pull off once Sakura had been in classes for a couple of weeks.

Luckily, in her current state, it wouldn't be too farfetched to believe that she still had yet to see the entire city.

Sora noticed this, and his suspicious gaze slackened somewhat.

"Is that so…?" he murmured, "Well, if that's the case then there'd be no problem if I went with you guys, right?"

"Ah… well…." Naruto flinched, scratching the side of his cheek in thought.

"What?" Sora frowned, his eyes narrowing again.

"Well… you see…" the blonde trailed off.

"You can come." Sakura told him, "You'll just have to let us go home first is all. We have to drop off our things, and then… well, we have to talk with Naruto's godfather about a few things as well."

"Alright." Sora nodded, "So… we'll meet in front of Naruto's at say… Fiveish?"

"What?! No!" Naruto shouted, dropping his hands onto the chair. "Er… I mean…" He frowned, "the port. It's close to your place, right?"

"Well, yeah." The teen replied, "So you want to meet up there then?"

"That should be fine." Sakura smiled sweetly. "We'll see you then."

The teen nodded, and the three left the room, going their separate ways.

Akamaru whined quietly at Kiba, leaving the boy to grunt in agreement.

"Yeah Akamaru." He confirmed, "They forgot about us."

_-Naruto's House-_

"Not that I dislike hanging out with Sora or anything," the blonde murmured, slinging his arm forward in a light jab, "but is this really alright? Don't we have training?"

Sakura frowned, ducking beneath the blow and slinging him over her body swiftly.

"It's fine," she muttered, "and it's true that I haven't taken the time to scope out _all_ the city. I can do that while running around with you and Sora."

"Alright…" the blonde nodded, recovering before he hit the ground, "but that still leaves one question… why exactly is _he_ here?"

Kiba grinned, lowering the small drink he'd taken the liberty to remove from Naruto's fridge.

"Heh, what's the matter Uzumaki? You aren't worried about me learning of your secrets are you?"

"Hardly." Naruto retorted, "I'm just wondering what you're doing in my house is all. And what do you think you're doing, drinking all my sodas?!"

Kiba's grin widened, crushing the can before tossing it behind him nonchalantly.

"I was thirsty."

Sakura sighed, falling out of her stance once she realized they weren't going to get much further with Kiba distracting them.

"It can't be helped." She sighed, pulling off her grappling gloves, "Jiraiya-sama wanted him here as well, though why he'd bother with a half-baked assassin like you I don't know."

Kiba squawked indignantly.

"Who do you think you're calling half-baked?! I'll have you know I nearly beat that blonde bastard-! Graugh!"

His sentence was cut short as Sakura drove her bare fist into the side of the Inuzuka's face. He rolled into the dirt silently, coughing in pain before crawling back to his feet.

"Y-You bitch-!"

Naruto clapped his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Don't do it Kiba, you're not ready to die." He said seriously.

The Inuzuka frowned in confusion, glancing at the evil silhouette of the pinkette as she seemed to tower over him angrily.

"Hoho… that's a nice look you've got there. But let's not kill our mutual friend just yet." Jiraiya called out, closing the door behind him as he entered the room.

"J-Jiraiya-sama!" Sakura shouted in surprise, turning away from Kiba to face the Sannin.

"What the hell…?" Kiba muttered, "What's up with that killing intent…?"

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Naruto quoted.

"Ah… I'm not sure that's how you're supposed to use that…" Kiba grunted, "But whatever."

He rose to his feet, folding his arms as Akamaru whined and pawed his leg.

"Hey, old man! What's the meaning of this? Why'd you call me here along with these two?"

"Hm," Jiraiya smirked, rubbing his chin eagerly, "I was just about to get to that."

Posing elegantly, the Toad Sannin slammed his foot down, thrusting his palm out toward the trio as numerous drapes descended around the room.

"But first, introductions! I am a Sage heralded through the ages! Master of espionage and Ninjutsu techniques alike! I am one of the three Sannin and novelist of the well-known Icha Icha series! I am a lover of women and an admirer of skin, I am, the super pervert, Jiraiya!"

Sparks of lights roared out around him as he finished his speech, firing out from trap doors located beneath the man's feet. The three younger shinobi deadpanned at the scene.

"Y-Yeah… I got that much." Kiba retorted, his hands hanging loosely by his sides. _"This guy is a master ninja…?"_

"J-Jiraiya-sama…" Sakura warned, trembling in frustration as she began to raise her fist.

"Hmhm… so, how about we get down to business?" the Sannin asked, ignoring Sakura's action and releasing the giant scroll draped across his back. "I've got some information for you three that you'll be just dying to hear!"

"?"

The man's grin darkened.

"Looks like those Demon Brothers you caught a few days back started talking. We've got some information on Akatsuki thanks to their... "charity.""

"Akatsuki... those are the guys who've been after this brat right?" Kiba asked, pointing behind him to the grimacing blonde.

"Heh, you're pretty informed. I guess Konoha gave you the information when they sent you to observe Naruto." Jiraiya guessed.

Kiba shrugged.

"Yeah, they told me a bit. Something about some guy named Mizuki…"

"Heh, well, I'll tell you one thing. Comparing Mizuki to these guys is like comparing a shark to a goldfish. Unlike Mizuki, who just caught wind of their operation and tried to butt in, these two have been working under an actual contract originating in Nami no Kuni itself."

"What?" Naruto's eyes glistened, "But that would mean that they'd have a handler on site right? So does that mean one of Akatsuki's members is here?"

Jiraiya frowned, rubbing his chin in deep thought.

"We're not sure. Unfortunately, neither of the Brothers had any direct contact with this individual. It seems like they've been using dead drops to get ahold of their assignments. But one name does keep popping up, "Zabuza.""

"Zabuza?" Sakura repeated, getting a feel for the name as it rolled off her tongue.

"Yeah. We ran a few scans through the Bingo System to see what came up," Jiraiya explained, "turns out this Zabuza character's got quite a bloody history. He's responsible for killing over half of his school peers during his time in the Kirigakure Academy. He's the one responsible for giving the Village the nickname "Bloody Mist", and it doesn't stop there. After failing to assassinate the Yondaime Mizukage, he fled and became a mercenary for hire."

"_Failing_ to assassinate the Mizukage?" Kiba couldn't help but ask, "Sorry, but having that on his record doesn't really make the guy sound all that great. So what? He's just some merc who happened to kill all his classmates when he was little?"

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.

"Haven't you been listening to a word I said? Zabuza is part of the reason the ninja system is the way it is today! His actions that day helped shape the Kirigakure Massacre, and earned him a place among the Seven Swordsman of the Mist!"

The last title got both Sakura and Kiba's attention.

"Wait… what'd you just say old man?" the Inuzuka breathed softly, "The Seven Swordsman… this guy's one of them?"

"Huh? Seven Swordsmen?" Naruto asked, glancing at his two fellow ninja, "You two know about them?"

"They're only some of the most powerful swordsmen who ever lived!" Kiba grimaced, "So this Zabuza is one of them huh…?"

"That is rather disturbing…" Sakura agreed, "Jiraiya-sama, you said that he's likely to still be here in Nami no Kuni?"

The Sannin nodded.

"Right. My men still haven't tracked down a firm location, but the Demon Brothers were confident in his presence here. I'll take their word for it, seeing as it was Ibiki who did the interrogation."

Sakura nodded, not knowing the name but trusting the Sannin's judgment. Even a pervert like a Jiraiya knew when to be serious after all.

Slowly, the girl glanced back at her blonde companion, a small frown crossing her face.

"_Naruto…"_

"So… about Zabuza..." said blonde grimaced, "What do we do?"

"Hrm, at this point, nothing." Jiraiya sighed reluctantly, "My men and I will searching for their base of operations. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled. If you see anything strange or suspicious, don't hesitate to contact me. And don't go getting it in your head to chase this guy down either. He's out of your league kid, at least for the time being."

Naruto got the feeling the last part of Jiraiya's lecture was directed towards Kiba, but he couldn't be sure.

"Alright, will do." The blonde nodded, giving the man a solemn nod, "Oh, but Pervy Sage, about today's training…"

"What?" the Sannin's brow rose, "I had planned on giving you some time off in light of a new regimen I was preparing, but was there something you wanted to discuss?"

"Ah… no…" Naruto shook his head, "it's just… Sakura and I need to handle some civilian business tonight… so I was going to say we'd probably be back later than usual."

"Oh…? Going on a date huh?" Jiraiya grinned, "Well, that's fine. Like I said, I need to coordinate with the network and finish up this new routine for you. Go on and enjoy yourself for today. But be prepared for a grueling session when you get back."

"Right. Don't worry Pervy Sage, I'll take everything you can throw at me!" Naruto promised, thrusting his fist out valiantly.

The Sannin's grinned deepened.

"Glad to hear it. Now get outta here and have some fun. I have work to do."

Naruto nodded, and without another word, the Sannin disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

_-Port-_

It would be another half hour until Naruto and Sakura appeared at the edge of the Nami no Kuni Port district, arriving as scheduled for their "tour" with Sora. The dark-haired boy grinned as he saw them approach, and quickly waved them over with his right hand.

"Glad to see you two could make it," he smirked, "I was worried you two might skit off and start without me."

"Hmph, like that was an option with Kiba trailing behind us every step of the way." Naruto muttered, glancing behind them to where the Inuzuka had been trailing silently.

Kiba's eye twitched.

"I'm not just trailing along! I'm part of the group too you know!"

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto grinned back at him after a moment, "Hurry up and get over here. You don't want to fall behind."

"R-Right…" the teen grunted, stuffing his hands down into his hoodie as Akamaru sat on his head sleeping.

He joined the group quickly.

"So, is this everyone who's coming, or do you have some more mysterious friends I don't know about?" Sora asked jokingly, grinned as Naruto waved him off.

"Nah, this is it. Besides, having too big a group would make this counterproductive. Remember, we're just here to show Sakura around!"

"Hai, hai…" Sora chuckled, waving off the blonde's concerns before turning to the pinkette in question. "So Miss Sakura, what would you like to see first?"

The girl frowned, bringing a finger to her lips in thought as she scanned the surrounding areas.

"Well, Naruto's already shown me the Residential Districts, and everything between that and the school I see every day so… how about Downtown?"

Kiba grinned.

"You mean you haven't been down there yet? And you've been here how long Sakura? Heh, should've known you'd be slacking around. No wonder Naruto has to do so much work- Augh!"

"Shut up Kiba-baka!" Sakura hissed, whacking the boy upside the head angrily before folding her arms, "I've been busy."

The two other boys just sighed as Kiba rubbed his bruise gently. Really, he should have known better than to insult the girl. They could get pretty violent when they wanted. Regardless, they now had a destination.

Discussing pointless ideas and gossip as they left the port, the group continued on their way to another part of the island. Surprisingly, it didn't take them all that long. Naruto suspected this was due to the fact that three of them had been trained in the ninja art, and despite being accompanied by one of the masses, they could still find the quickest path to their intended destination with ease. It certainly didn't hurt that there weren't as many pedestrians out and about, making the crowds that would usually slow one's pace a problem they didn't have to deal with.

They arrived at approximately 5:45, leaving them with plenty of time to explore and possibly check out another side of Nami no Kuni as well.

"Wow!" Sakura exclaimed, glancing at the many tall buildings and lights that lined the sky. "I knew this place was filled with commerce, but I never expected them to have anything _this_ remarkable!"

"Yeah." Naruto agreed, "Ever since the localization of mainland products, Nami no Kuni has been rushing to modernize well, everything. In my many years here I think I've seen this place grow from a small village to the booming environment it is now."

"Amazing…" Sakura murmured, "Look at all these skyscrapers… I can only imagine what it'd feel like climb them."

She was referring to the ninja technique of wall climbing, a simple ability that had been taught to all academy students prior to even their learning of the basic three. Of course, Sora didn't know that. So when he returned with their orders from the fast food restaurant they'd stopped at, it was only natural of him to question her.

"Do you like extreme sports then Sakura?" he asked, smiling at the group as he set their drinks on the table before taking a seat.

"Ah… something like that." She smiled, "I can't say I care too much for things like snow or surfboarding, but climbing exercises have always been a breeze for me."

"Oh really? If that's the case you might want to join the school's rock climbing club. I think they have an upcoming competition as well. If you want I can put a word in for you." He suggested.

Sakura sweatdropped, raising her hands to wave him down, "Ah, thanks, but I'll be a bit busy getting settled in this year. Maybe next time."

"Ah. Well," Sora smirked, "just make sure you don't fall into the same habits this guy does." He grinned, slinging his arm around Naruto's neck, much to the blonde's chagrin, "He hasn't joined a single club in all his years here. Something about none of them being exciting enough or some jazz."

"Nrgh!" Naruto grunted, removing Sora's arm from his person, "Well it's true! None of those wimpy school clubs have enough action to get my blood pumping! It's tiring just looking at them all!"

Sakura smiled, "Naruto always was a more hands-on kind of guy. But I'm a bit surprised. You never tried to join a sports club?"

Naruto frowned, folding his arms impatiently. "Nope. Like I said, they were all too boring."

The pinkette smiled wryly, wrapping her fingers around her cup gently.

"I see…" _"So even Naruto has things he won't do…."_

"So, what about you then?" Kiba asked, slurping down his drink while glancing at Sora through the corner of his eye, "What's your story? You must have something you're interested in, right?"

"A-Ah…" Sora laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck, "I wouldn't say that…"

"Sora's in training to be a monk." Naruto explained, "His family runs a temple right on the outskirts of the city."

"Really?" Kiba asked, raising a brow at the blonde's words, "Funny. I didn't think people still had a use for monks these days."

"Well, it's the family business… it's in my blood, you could say." Sora explained softly.

"So both your parents are monks then?" Sakura asked curiously.

"That's right. Running the temple's been in our family for generations. Like I said, being a monk is in my blood." Sora repeated his prior statement. "Though… I will say that I never really cared for it all that much."

"I bet," Kiba smirked, taking a bite out of his meal, "Won't you have to live your entire life in devout prayer or something?"

"Well… kinda." Sora explained, "And eventually I'll be forced to go on a pilgrimage as well. But neither of those can be helped. I'll have to take charge of the temple one day, so I'm going to have to buckle down in my studies. Of course, the real stuff won't start until after I'm out of high school, which means I have another few years of fun left."

Sakura laughed lightly, "It sounds like you'll want to get as much use out of them as you can."

Sora nodded.

"Definitely," he replied, pounding a fist onto his chest, "I'm not going to let these days just drift by! I'm going to enjoy them to the best of my ability!"

The sudden movement shook the table, and Sora cried out as his cup spilled over, spilling his drink all over the floor.

"Ah, damn it!" he cried out, reeling back to make sure none got on his clothes, "Now I have to go clean this up. Hang on you three, I'm gonna go in and see if I can't get this refilled."

He rose from the table, disappearing back inside the restaurant to speak with one of the employees, much to the remaining trio's bemusement.

"So, pretty interesting guy." Kiba drawled, hearing Akamaru yip from the top of his head.

"Yeah, he's alright." Naruto replied, "He has his troubles, but hey, who doesn't?"

"You sound like you know him well." Sakura thought aloud.

"Well, I guess that's true." Naruto shrugged, "Like he told you yesterday, we've been friends ever since I moved here."

Kiba smirked.

"Heh, figures a moron like you would make friends with a civilian."

"Oi! Who are you calling a moron, mutt?!" Naruto growled back, grabbing Kiba from across the table.

"What was that? You wanna go?!" Kiba retorted, responding in turn.

The two glowered at each other angrily, Sakura sighing at their antics from the sidelines.

"_Sheesh,"_ she thought, _"and here I thought __**I**__ was the hot-tempered one. Though… I suppose it's not too bad taking a break occasionally like this…"_ she glanced toward the approaching Sora, who had somehow managed to gain another drink.

If only it would last.

_-PtK-_

"Well, it's getting late. I should probably be heading back."

"Eh? Already?" Naruto asked Sora curiously.

"Yeah," the teen spoke apologetically, "Unlike you I can't just breeze through classes while sleeping all day, Naruto, and there's no telling what my parents will say if I return home in the middle of the night."

"Ah, the overprotective kind are they?" Kiba spoke knowingly, "I feel for ya."

"Heh, right." Sora smiled, turning toward Sakura, "So, do you think you've got a feel for the area now?"

"Ah, yes." Sakura nodded politely, "I should be able to found my way around now. Thanks for all the help."

"No problem!" the teen grinned, "I couldn't just leave all the work to Naruto here, you would've gotten lost in no time!"

"E-Eh?!" the blonde squawked, "Like that'd happen! I've lived here a long time too you know!"

"Hai, hai," Sora laughed once more, trailing away from them before waving back one last time, "See you guys next week."

They waved back at him briefly, watching him disappearing into the dark before dropping their hands.

"Damn Sora…" Naruto deadpanned, "Acting like I'd have gotten lost…"

"Would you have?" Sakura asked teasingly.

"O-Of course not!" Naruto asked, folding his arms in frustration, "I've lived here for years! There's no way I'd get lost!"

"So you say." Kiba grunted, "But there's no way to tell for sure now is there? After all, you sure did have a hard time leading Akamaru and I around when we were gonna fight!"

"!" the blonde scowled, "T-That was because of all the construction going on! It's annoying walking through all that you know?!"

"Sure, if you say so…" Kiba smirked, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Why you-"

"You wanna go?!"

The two boys looked as if they were about to lunge at each other much to Sakura's annoyance, but a sudden chilling sensation cut them off.

"O-Oi…"

"Naruto…"

"Yeah, I felt it."

The three ninja grimaced, glancing toward the darkness that surrounded them. Several seconds later a pair of gleaming senbon flashed through the night, prompting them all to leap back in surprise.

"_Another attacker, here?!"_ Naruto thought, lunging backward. _"I couldn't tell until just now… have they been following us the entire time?!"_

"I'm surprised." A soft, feminine voice spoke as a lone silhouette appeared beneath one of the many lampposts hanging through the streets, "I thought for sure you and your associates would have noticed me by now, Namikaze-san."

"_They used Senbon?"_ Naruto thought in surprise, listening to the voice.

"Tch, let's go Akamaru!" Kiba snarled, rushing forward with the intent to end the battle before it could even begin. "**Gatsuuga!**"

"Kiba, wait!" Sakura shouted after him, but it was too late.

The wrapping winds engulfed both Kiba and the quickly transformed Akamaru, transforming them into the twin tornadoes that Naruto knew so well. They rushed toward the silhouette swiftly, never expecting that their technique had already been seen through.

Ice suddenly flowed across the ground, enveloping the street in an icy chill as the figure breezed past the pair effortlessly. Quickly, the being turned, firing several pairs of senbon toward the back of the tornadoes.

Kiba and Akamaru both shouted out in surprise, their technique stopping short as they crashed to the ground, paralyzed.

"W-What the-?!" the Inuzuka growled, Akamaru whining softly beside him. "I-I can't move!"

"No, you can't." the figure confirmed, turning from the Inuzuka to face the remaining two ninja. "It's an effect that comes from using senbon. If one is skilled enough, they can target pressure points that can paralyze, maim, and even cause death."

Sakura and Naruto's eyes narrowed. Simply put, this person was just saying they were dangerous! Even so… they wouldn't let him win!

They separated, each jumping to a separate side of the street before charging toward the figure. Shaking their head in the disappointment, the figure leapt back, another thin sheet of ice flourishing out beneath them increasing the pace at which they moved.

Naruto grimaced as they skidded out of reach, and quickly tossed several kunai toward their darkening form. They failed to reach the target, the figure having easily dispersed of them with a kunai of their own.

"Is that the best you can do?" the figure asked curiously, holding their kunai lightly as if they were about to put it away.

Naruto grinned. "Not even close."

Sakura lunged at the figure from behind, grabbing them by an arm before swinging them around toward the blonde. The figure grunted in surprise, quickly attempting to adjust their fall so they'd have an advantage.

There wasn't enough time.

Naruto's fist collided with the figure's face, the sound of an item snapping echoing through the street as the figure crashed to the ground behind them, rolling to a stop. They stumbled for a moment, before slowly rising back to their feet.

"My mask…" they muttered calmly, "You cracked it."

"Che…" the blonde grunted, turning on his heel as he reached for his ninjato, "you're lucky that's all I broke! Get ready, because from this point on I won't be holding back!"

"I see." The figure replied coolly, glancing at the pair through the cracked white mask, "Then neither shall I."

They formed a hand seal, frost spreading across the landscape beneath their feet. Naruto and Sakura both took a step back, moving to adjust their stances so they wouldn't slip. As they did so, a great mirror slowly emerged from the frost behind the figure, an identical one appearing on the opposite side, behind Naruto and his companions.

"Hidden Jutsu:" the figure spoke softly, "Crystal Ice Mirrors."

"_A mirror?"_ Sakura thought darkly, _"What's that for?"_

The figure raised its hand slightly, revealing a pair of senbon clad between each fingertip.

And then… he leapt backward, disappearing inside the mirror.

"What?" Naruto asked in surprise, "They went… inside!?"

"! Naruto, look out!" Kiba shouted from behind them, and the blonde turned.

"Wha-? Nnk!" the blonde winced in pain, taking a step back as a senbon suddenly pierced his shoulder. "It came from behind-?"

The figure's reflection was no longer in the mirror that had been in front of them, but the one that was behind them.

"What the… hell?" Naruto grimaced.

"My Crystal Ice Mirrors allow me to move wherever I please," the figure explained, "from now on, you won't be able to keep up with my movements."

"Heh…" the blonde muttered, raising the ninjato, "We'll see about that. You ready Sakura?"

"Hai." The pinkette replied.

"Then let's do this!" he shouted, rushing forward.

Again the figure showered them with senbon, and Naruto leapt upward to avoid the blow. Sakura too, managed to avoid the numerous senbon, adjusting herself to run along the side of the wall to avoid the waves of steel that fell towards them.

Naruto's eye gleamed as he neared the mirror, gripping his blade tightly before swirling into a spin. His blade cut through the mirror easily, slicing it in half. Even so, the figure inside remained calm, despite his body being cut in two.

"_Did I get him?"_ Naruto thought.

A sudden shower of senbon engulfing his back gave him his answer.

"_-! From behind again?!"_ he hissed in thought, stumbling forward before catching himself.

He never thought that the same tools used for acupuncture could hurt so much.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, landing beside the blonde worriedly as Kiba grunted from his pinned position on the floor.

"I told you the first time." The figure replied, "You won't be able to keep up anymore."

The mirror Naruto cut in half quickly reformed, and the figure's reflection reappeared.

"Guh…! Damn you… In that case-!" Naruto stabbed his blade into the ground, quickly forming a series of hand seals. "I'll just have to compensate! **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"**

The street erupted with smoke, numerous mops of blonde hair appearing, glancing at both mirrors heatedly.

""If one of us can't take you on, then how about twenty?!"" they shouted in unison, their voices echoing amongst each other.

The figure's eyes narrowed behind their mask. "Interesting. I shall take you on then!"

The numerous blondes let out a battle cry as ten of them rushed each mirror, intending to bust them both to pieces. Senbon suddenly flourished out from both sides, shredding through the Naruto clones as if they were pincushions. Even so, they did not falter, continuing their steps until they neared the target.

""Take this!"" they shouted in unison, many of the remaining clones thrusting their fists forward toward the mirrors.

The sound of a blow landing echoed through the street, and from behind her Sakura saw a figure slump out of the mirror.

"Naruto," she called out, informing the original, "She's behind us!"

"I know!" the boy grunted, grabbing a kunai and lunging it forward, directly at the figure's face.

"Ngh!" the target grunted, swooping their arm forward angrily as a sheet of ice blocked the kunai from landing.

"Tch!" the pinkette grimaced, leaping forward, "I won't let you get away!"

She flipped downward, extending her left leg and bringing it down directly upon the sheet.

It shattered upon impact.

The masked figure's eyes widened as he suddenly saw a chakra-enhanced fist fly toward him, courtesy of the Haruno herself. He raised his arms to defend the blow.

A resounding crack echoed through the area.

The figure hissed in pain as they skidded backward, a small plume of smoke stemming upward from their left arm.

It was broken.

"Hm… so the kunoichi has some worth as well." They thought aloud.

Sakura glared at the man fiercely, clenching her fists tightly.

"That's right. Don't think shinobi are the only ones who can fight, Shannaro!"

The figure laughed melodiously.

"Of course. It would be foolish to underestimate you." They muttered, "But… it doesn't change the fact that as you are now, neither of you will be able to survive."

"Survive…?" Naruto muttered, "Who do you think you are…?! You're already on the verge of being defeated!"

"If that's truly what you believe, then you're even more foolish than I thought." The figure replied. "You've already been hit by many of my senbon. What do you think would have happened if I had aimed for more vital areas?"

"!" Naruto grimaced, "You're saying… you're not here to kill me?"

"I like to avoid needless slaughter when available." The man explained, "I don't want to have to kill you… but neither can I allow you to kill me. So, Namikaze-san, I shall give you this one warning. Give up on returning to your life as a shinobi. Return to your peaceful days as a civilian, and you will be able to live out a long and potentially prosperous life."

"Give up on becoming Hokage…?" Naruto muttered, "Sorry. But that's not going to happen!"

"Kage…?" the man asked.

A wave of senbon suddenly flushed toward the blonde, but Sakura was there to intercept it. She grimaced as several of the needles cut into her skin, but a majority of the tools she was able to deflect with a well-timed kunai.

"A Kage is one who exists to protect others." The man explained, "And yet you… who cannot even protect yourself wishes to claim the title? How… humorous."

"Y-You…!" Naruto grimaced, "What'd you say?!"

"As you are now you are incapable of becoming Hokage, let alone surviving your next encounter with me."

The masked man frowned, gripping their left arm gently before snapping back in place.

"As it stands, your pink-haired protector would be more suitable for the role. I should eliminate you now… but my warning still stands. Forget about becoming Hokage Naruto Namikaze, or the next time we meet… no matter how much I hate killing… I shall kill my heart with a blade, and become a true shinobi."

The figure disappeared in a flurry of frozen wind, his last parting words ringing through the air.

"And if I don't do it… then Zabuza will."

He was gone.

Sakura slumped down slightly, her grip on the kunai loosening as she exhaled softly. The man's killing intent as he said those words had been suffocating. And what was the name he had used at the end there…?

Zabuza.

The same man Jiraiya had warned them about.

Then… that masked man was one of his associates?

The pinkette glanced back at the blonde worriedly, noting his steely and unamused gaze. He wasn't it well. Being told that you were being toyed with and it'd be better for you to discard your dream was bound to be jarring on anyone, but she couldn't see Naruto being bothered by it for long.

"N-Naruto…" Sakura breathed.

"Give up on being Hokage…?" the blonde muttered, "Ridiculous. There's no way I'll do such a thing."

The girl smiled lightly.

Right. Of course he'd dismiss it immediately. That was how Naruto was after all.

Even so, the man's words were worrying. If they were to be believed, then that meant that next time it wouldn't just be him attacking, but Zabuza as well.

That didn't bode well.

The two glanced to Kiba, who was still pinned down paralyzed next to Akamaru.

"Oi, mutt. You doing alright?" the blonde asked sarcastically.

The Inuzuka growled, "Stop mocking me and get over here to help!"

"Hai, hai…" Naruto assured him, waving off his concerns as he stepped forward. "I'm coming, no need to get all your knickers in a bunch- Urk!"

The blonde cut his sentence off as a sharp pain suddenly shot through him, and he fell to his knees. Sakura rushed toward him worriedly.

"Naruto? What's wrong? Naruto?!"

The blonde's vision began to blur, and he found himself thinking back to something the masked man told him earlier.

"_If that's truly what you believe, then you're even more foolish than I thought." The figure replied. "You've already been hit by many of my senbon. What do you think would have happened if I had aimed for more vital areas?"_

He began to collapse.

"_D-Damn it…"_

"Naruto?!"

"_**Naruto!**_"

* * *

_-Chapter Four-_

* * *

_**END**_


	5. Training

"So Haku… tell me," A dark figure grunted from his chair, "did you do as I asked?"

"Hai, Zabuza-sama." the masked man nodded, dropping to a knee in front of the larger being. "I have delivered the message as you requested."

"And…?"

"They… have refused your gracious offer."

The man known as Zabuza grinned, shark-like fangs glinting in the darkness as he reached for the hilt of the blade. So… that Namikaze brat decided to keep playing ninja after all?

Interesting.

Of course, even if the boy had declined the offer Zabuza intended to kill him. He had to keep up appearances after all.

Even so, the fact that the boy chose to fight was amusing. Did he not know who he was dealing with? Did the blonde not know the fear and terror that followed the "Demon of the Bloody Mist"?

No.

Of course he didn't. He was young, naïve to the ways of the world. Just like Haku had been.

Zabuza's dark, cold eyes turned toward the masked boy, examining him thoroughly.

It had been quite a few years since the mercenary had stumbled across the poor, homeless orphan, yet despite all the training, despite all the battle and murder the boy had seen, he was still, still, far too soft.

The Yuki had yet to kill in Zabuza's presence, though the man knew, oh how he knew, that the boy had been forced to do it before.

It was a common occurrence, when one clung to their name in an area that despised Kekkei Genkai. Zabuza's grin faded, slowly.

"Z-Zabuza-sama?" Haku asked, drawing the man's attention.

"Hn. That's their loss." He spoke finally, returning to the original reason for their conversation.

Yes… Haku had gone to persuade the boy to give up. He had gone, in the hope that they would not have to fight.

Foolish.

Zabuza had allowed it, after learning that the Demon Brothers had been defeated. They were hardly powerful opponents themselves, but even so, they were his subordinates, and as such his responsibility.

But he did not care for them.

He would not fight to avenge them.

Oh no. Shinobi were not to do such things.

In truth, the man was more curious about how someone who had not practiced the arts in several years had managed to get the better of the two.

If anything, it was an embarrassment.

So he'd allow Haku to go, knowing full well that it would end as it did.

With Haku here, kneeling before him, and Naruto Namikaze slated for death.

"So…?" Zabuza spoke again, "What did you think of them? Are they a threat?"

Haku was silent for a moment, saying nothing before looking up with his gleaming, cracked mask.

"He will… not be a problem, Zabuza-sama."

* * *

**Naruto: Path to Kage**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**Training**

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes, staring up toward the ceiling of his room drowsily.

"Eh…?" he asked aloud, his pupils focusing on the area around him as he glanced around. "What… happened?"

A sharp pain coursed through his back as he leaned up, his face squinting in pain at the sensation. His eyes widened in recognition as the memories coursed through his mind, prompting him to nearly jump out of his bed in shock.

"That's right! That masked guy-!"

A soft hand clasped itself around his arm, holding him down gently in a soothing manner. The blonde turned, soft strands of pink hair appearing in his line of sight before he found himself staring into Sakura's face.

"S-Sakura…." He muttered, his face's serious expression slackening somewhat.

"It's alright Naruto," she assured him, loosening the grip on his arm somewhat, "He's gone. And we're safe. You lost consciousness when we were about to grab Kiba, remember?"

The blonde furrowed his brow slowly, collecting the bits and pieces of the event in his mind before nodding slowly.

"Ah… Yeah. Where is the mutt anyway? Did he head back home?" Naruto asked slowly, his mouth dry and parched.

"Heh, and what? Miss the chance to gloat about how you passed out?" Kiba asked from the doorway, leaning next to the wall with his arms folded, "Hardly. I was resting up in one of the guest rooms waiting for your lazy ass to wake up. Can't say I'm disappointed. You slept the whole night... like a baby."

"Ngh…" Naruto grunted, too drained to get worked up about Kiba's words. "What happened…? Was that guy using poison or something? I felt fine until I started walking over to Kiba…"

"I examined the senbon as soon as I got back," Sakura explained, "but I didn't find anything unusual about them. It's more likely that he attacked one of your pressure points, causing an immediate reaction that placed you in your sleeping state."

Naruto grimaced, remembering the masked man's words before he departed.

"Tch… that guy, he was completely toying with us, wasn't he?"

"Yeah." Kiba grunted, earning a yip from Akamaru in agreement, "He dropped Akamaru and I as if we were nothing… even our Gatsuuga was useless against him!"

Naruto said nothing about the fact that he too had defeated the Gatsuuga. Now simply wasn't the time for teasing.

"Damn… I'm still not strong enough."

"You've got that right." Jiraiya grunted, appearing in the blonde's window as if he had been there the entire time.

The group looked at him for several seconds, not even bothering to greet him with a hello. He frowned.

"I just got back from another meeting with my spy network." The Sannin began to explain, dropping down into the room and sliding the glass shut behind him. "I heard about your fight with that Ice ninja…"

They all looked at the man in shock.

He had heard…?

The blonde frowned, exchanging glances with the Sannin. Jiraiya's eyes narrowed intently before he folded his arms impatiently.

"What the hell were you thinking? Have you forgotten everything I taught you?" Jiraiya roared, glaring at Naruto in disappointment.

It only lasted several seconds before a knowing smirk crossed the man's face, and he began rubbing his chin in delight.

"It's obvious you need more training. Luckily for you, that new training regimen I'd been preparing is just about ready." He glanced back at the blonde, "Get up. We'll be starting immediately."

"Ah," Sakura spoke up, raising her hand defiantly, "But wait, Jiraiya-sama, Naruto's only just woken up! He should still have a little more rest-"

"Hmph. Naïve." Jiraiya responded immediately, "Do you think Zabuza and that masked friend of his will care whether or not you're well-rested? They'd rather just cut off your head while you slept you know?"

"But…" Sakura continued to protest, but the sound of sheets being thrown to the side cut her off.

"It's fine, Sakura." Naruto sighed, slowly pushing his legs out to the side in order to stand. "Thanks for sticking up for me and all, but he's right. I need to get stronger if I'm going to have any chance surviving against that masked guy, and it's even more important I do so if he was telling the truth about Zabuza."

He panted softly, clapping his knees in preparation before rising to his feet.

"I need to get stronger as quickly as possible," he grunted, glaring at Jiraiya determinedly before thrusting his fist forward, "so bring it on Pervy Sage, I'll take anything you throw at me!"

The Sannin grinned, rubbing his chin further as he glanced at the blonde in glee.

"Glad to hear it. Then get dressed and meet me in the training room. That goes for you two as well!" Jiraiya announced, grabbing both Sakura and Kiba by surprise, "Don't think I'll let you get away with slacking off while I'm working with Naruto. I'm sure you both have things you want to work on?"

Kiba frowned.

"Hey, hold on! I don't see why I have to get dragged into this- Ow!"

Sakura stood over the fallen boy solemnly, steam rising from her clenched fist.

"Shut up Kiba! Or do you really think you'll be able to handle that masked guy the next time he shows up? You were the first of us to go down, remember?"

"H-Hai…" the Inuzuka mumbled, tears strolling down his face comically as Akamaru pawed him gently.

"Good," the pinkette nodded, "then you know you need just as much work as the rest of us, if not more!"

"Tch…" Kiba grumbled, crawling back to his feet in order to regain some of his dignity, "Troublesome women."

"That's not a line I'd expect to hear from you." Sakura replied smoothly, before stepping away from the Inuzuka hurriedly.

"Then it's settled!" Jiraiya grinned, having watched the scene unfold in mild amusement. "Go on and get yourselves prepared. We'll gather at the training room in five."

The group nodded to each other before scattering, each heading to their own room to prepare for a day of grueling training. There was no telling what the Sannin had prepared for them after all.

"_I'll have to work my hardest too!"_ Naruto thought, clenching his fist as he remained alone inside his bedroom. _"I won't let that guy get the better of me again! But first…"_

Solemnly, the blonde glanced downward.

Bare skin stared back at him, save for the fine protection of boxers he never left the house with. So he had been undressed while he slept.

Thinking on it, he supposed it made sense. His entire back _had_ been punctured with potentially deadly senbon after all. It had to have been delicate work taking them all out while ensuring he wasn't permanently injured.

That kind of work… Kiba didn't seem the sort who'd be capable of such a thing, and based on the reaction Jiraiya had given upon arrival, it seemed that he had only just returned from a night away from the house as well!

So… did that mean…?

Naruto felt his cheeks flush lightly.

She had said it the night they had fought Mizuki right?

"_It'll take more than a kunai wound to kill a __**medical**__ ninja."_

She had been trained in Medical Ninjutsu, and as far as Naruto knew, that went hand in hand with advanced first aid as well.

"_So does that mean… that Sakura-chan was the one who-?"_

He blushed, his eyes widening as he glanced down at himself once more.

No!

He calmed himself. His boxers were still on after all, and Sakura was most certainly not a pervert! She was a professional! An elite!

The blonde nodded to himself, assuring him that the girl had not seen anything _too_ private.

….

Not that he would have minded all that much, if he was honest with himself.

His brow furrowed. What was he doing, wasting time like this? He needed to get ready. Jiraiya wasn't one to wait forever after all.

Things like who undressed him, who saw the most delicate parts of his body… they could wait until after the danger had passed.

Quickly, Naruto slid open his closet, reaching for the battered uniform that had been absent from his presence when he awoke.

His eyes gleamed as he pulled it on, the smooth white vest sliding over him like a glove as he entered the hall with the rest of his allies.

It was time to train.

_-Downstairs-_

"The Gatsuuga in a Ninjutsu well-known as the Inuzuka Clan's signature technique." Jiraiya lectured, pacing around the seated Inuzuka pair. "As such, any opponent you come across who has at least some knowledge of their existence will immediately expect this weapon to be in your arsenal."

"Well, there's not much I can do about that." Kiba grunted, trailing Jiraiya's motions with his eyes.

"True," Jiraiya agreed, "but that doesn't mean that this drawback has to become a gaping weakness. Your technique… use it on me."

"What?" Kiba asked, a brow raising curiously as he faced the Sannin.

The Toad Sage grinned.

"You heard me. Your Gatsuuga. Use it on me. I want to see just what I'm dealing with here."

"Heh," Kiba smirked, running a hand across his nose in anticipation before leaping back with Akamaru, "Well, if that's what you want old man, but don't blame me if you wind up hurt!"

He formed several quick hand seals, transforming Akamaru into the perfect Kiba clone before bending down on all fours.

"Let's go Akamaru, **Gatsuuga!**"

The moment he said the words Jiraiya's eyes narrowed, watching every step the Inuzuka pair took as they transformed into a violent, swiveling tornado of destruction. They drove towards him powerfully, ripping pieces of the walls and floorboard apart as they neared their target.

Of course, being the Sannin that he was, Jiraiya was in absolutely no danger from the pair's attack. His eyes gleamed upon spotting an opening, and he leapt forward, appearing on the other side of the room as the two while they both collapsed to the floor in pain, a firm blow to the ribs having been delivered to each of them.

"Your rotations are too slow." Jiraiya muttered, "You're certainly fast enough to invoke the power of the tornado itself, but you put far too much chakra into the technique, and not enough of your own basic body movement. What you've been using up to this point… is not the "true" Gatsuuga on the Inuzuka Clan."

Akamaru whined as Kiba stared at the man in shock.

"Not… the "true" Gatsuuga?"

Jiraiya grinned.

"Don't worry. I've got just the thing to fix that little problem of yours. We'll start by having you increase your rotations by fifty."

"F-Fifty?!" Kiba gaped, "Like hell I can do that!"

"Oh you'll do it." Jiraiya grinned, "Because by the time I'm done with you, I'll expect you to have a much faster and lengthier Gatsuuga at your disposal. I'll say… something about ten times as powerful as your current technique."

Kiba's jaw dropped.

Ten times as powerful…?

Was the man insane?

The sudden sound of the building shaking broke Kiba's thoughts, and he quickly glanced to the wall separating him from the next room over, where Sakura was currently contending with one of Jiraiya's shadow clones.

"_Sounds like they're really going at it."_ He sweatdropped, before turning his attention back to his own version of the Sannin.

He nodded fiercely.

"Alright, I'll do it!"

"Shannaro!" Sakura shouted, slamming her fist into the ground as Jiraiya danced out the way with ease.

"Your training as a Medical Kunoichi has granted you incredible chakra control, and your use of the chakra enhancement technique is perhaps one of the best I've seen." Jiraiya praised, continuing to duck and swerve out from the girl's many attacks as he continued his lecture. "Your strength is immense, but all that power is useless if you're unable to land a blow on your opponent."

He slid out from beneath the girl's attempted elbow drop, continuing to work on his latest novel as he did so.

"Let's see if we can make those attacks of yours a bit more precise. As it stands, you waste too much energy making needless movements, and it only serves to give your enemy an idea of where you'll be attacking from." He paused his lecture as Sakura attempted to deliver a punch to his face, dropping down and sweeping the girl's feet out from under her effortlessly. "We should probably try and work on your speed as well. It's nice you're so willing to take a bullet for Naruto and all, but it'd be preferable if both of you could dodge an attack and come out unscathed."

He glanced upward.

"So? What're you waiting for? Hit me."

The girl's eyes gleamed, and she charged forward, her vigor renewed.

She swung again and again at the older man, and utilized all forms of Taijutsu she could think off, but _still_, it was not enough to lay a hand on him!

"Too slow!" the Sannin scolded, lunging backward with a curt frown on his face, "Move faster, make your punches sharper! Don't swing so wide!"

"I hear you…!" the pinkette grimaced, lunging after him and pulling back her right fist.

"No!" Jiraiya roared, stopping his retreat to again knock the girl off her feet.

Sakura grimaced, using the same hand she'd pulled back to perform a handstand. And then…

She swung herself around, slamming her left leg into the right side of Jiraiya's face in what appeared to be an upside-down spin kick.

The Sannin grinned, his spiky white hair covering his eyes as he'd lowered the arm with which he blocked the attack.

"Better." He told her, his eyes gleaming lecherously, "So now let's see how you learn with an opponent who strikes back."

Sakura's eyes went wide and she let out a violated scream as the old man descended upon her.

Naruto glanced to the left, away from the original Jiraiya to face the sound of the noise.

"Eh? Was that Sakura just now-?"

The weight of a wooden sword suddenly smashed down on the top of the blonde's head, sending him barreling to the floor in pain.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya scolded, "Pay attention! You're the one who needs this training the most!"

"E-Eh?" the blonde did a double-take, "I am?!"

"Don't look so surprised." Jiraiya chuckled, "Both Kiba and Sakura have been training their entire lives as ninja. You've just gotten back into the swing of things a week ago. It's only natural you'd need more training to keep up with them." He pointed his finger toward the teen confidently, "That being said, despite this handicap of yours, you've still managed to overcome most adversaries you've come across thus far. Even Kiba himself was no match. This only goes to show you've got some amazing potential for the job kid, we just need you to focus where you put all that excess energy of yours."

Naruto nodded, steeling himself for whatever was to come. He was ready for this.

Jiraiya seemed to have noted it, and began to pace around the room slowly.

"For the past few weeks I've done nothing but ensure you've got a firm handle on the basics. Stealth, Ninjutsu, a basic Taijutsu stance… Naruto! Pop Quiz! When does a ninja strike?!"

The blonde leapt to attention, a bead of sweat rolling down the back of his head as he heard the question the Sannin had given him. He knew the answer. It was something Jiraiya had drilled into him the first day his training began.

"A… A ninja waits until the time is right." Naruto began slowly. "When the enemy sleeps and drops his guard. When his weapons lay forgotten in the stillness of the night. That is the moment for a ninja to strike."

"Hm, not bad." Jiraiya nodded, giving the blonde his approval, "Now, why don't we try something a little more difficult? Rule 33 of the Shinobi Handbook. What is it?"

"Ah… Erm… A shinobi must look underneath the underneath… or something?" the blonde asked curiously.

Jiraiya sighed, a bemused expression crossing his face.

"Well, I suppose that's one way of saying it. A shinobi must see the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings."

Naruto frowned, folding his arms impatiently as Jiraiya suddenly stopped pacing.

"That's all well and good, but what's the point of all this Pervy Sage? I thought you said you were gonna train me, not make sure I memorized these lines!"

"Ah… but that's just it Naruto." The Sannin chuckled, quoting Rule 33 yet again. "A shinobi must see the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings…. If you'd been paying attention, you would have realized that your training's already begun."

Naruto's eyes went wide as the man suddenly appeared behind him, and the blonde's training began.

Quickly, he leapt away from the Sannin, backpedaling slightly as he began to examine his options.

No ninjato, or wooden form of the sword he could use. Jiraiya had informed him to leave all weapons and other equipment aside for the duration of the training. Essentially, that meant the blonde had no access to shuriken, kunai, or other basic tools. All that left him with… was his fists!

He raised his fists, adjusting his feet so that he stood in the basic Taijutsu stance he'd learnt.

Jiraiya smiled slightly.

"You have the basics down pat." He spoke surely, walking toward Naruto slowly, "But up until now you've been relying on simple sword movements and the swarming ability of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu to get you by. This time, let's see how you do when you fight someone alone, without any clones to back you up."

The Sannin straightened his back before glaring at the blonde fiercely.

"Now, come at me!"

Naruto nodded once, before dashing forward with his right arm pulled back to deliver a sharp blow to the man's chest. Jiraiya dodged the attack with ease, sidestepping to the left before sticking his leg out so that Naruto would trip as he passed by.

The blonde grunted as he stumbled forward, quickly flipping himself upright so as to not leave Jiraiya with an opening. He crouched upon landing, skidding backward slightly before pushing off from the earth below and charging toward the man again.

This time, surely-!

Releasing several sharp punches and kicks toward his teacher's position, Naruto's eyes narrowed in annoyance as the man weaved through each one effortlessly. This was expected of course, the man was a Sannin, one of the most powerful shinobi in the world. It was unlikely that someone who wasn't at least close to his level would be able to keep up.

Even so, that did not stop it from being any less frustrating on his opponents.

Naruto let loose an irritated yell as he dropped down and swept his leg out, attempting to knock the man of his feet.

Jiraiya simply leapt back, out of the blonde's reach.

"Your movements are sharp, but your use of a basic stance makes your attacks easy to read, if not predictable. And that's why…"

The older man turned on his heel, slamming his other leg forward and kicking the blonde away.

"I'll beat a new form into you by the weekend's end!"

Naruto grunted in pain, rolling back at the force of the blow before coming to a slow stop.

"A new form…?" the blonde asked, panting heavily. "By the end of the weekend…?"

"That's right." Jiraiya grinned, assuming yet another dramatic pose as he looked down upon his young student. "I call it… Frog Kata."

_-PtK-_

"_Sources indicate that the storm is moving west, toward the well-populated lands of Nami no Kuni. Residents are advised to dress for rainy weather in the approaching days…"_

Sakura sighed as she walked through the convenience store, several boxes of bandages and other first aid supplies tucked beneath each arm. Kiba and she had been released for a short break after roughly five hours of dealing with the lecherous old man, and while Kiba was more than eager to slouch around the house with Akamaru, she had more noble goals in mind.

After all, it wasn't as if they were the only ones training.

However, Naruto had not been released for a break, and even as Kiba and Sakura walked up the steps, the sound of powerful blows could still be heard echoing throughout the basement.

It was what prompted the pinkette to go out and restock in the first place. Of course, this was only a normal course of action for one who dared to call themselves a medic. Besides, if Kiba and she had been so badly bruised when _they'd_ been released, who knew how battered and bruised the blonde would be when Jiraiya finally stopped pounding on him?

Thinking of such things only served to make Sakura sigh once more, and she approached the counter solemnly, placing the materials on the counter next to the cash register.

A long-haired young woman looked up at her from the other side.

"Ready to check out then?" she asked, tilting her head slightly before noting what the woman was buying. "Oh? That's quite a large amount of first aid equipment you've got there…. Did someone get hurt?"

"Not yet," Sakura replied kindly, "but I have the feeling they will be by the time I get back, so I'm buying these just in case."

"I see. You must care for them a lot then, if you're buying so many of these. Are they precious to you?"

"Immensely so." Sakura confirmed, watching the girl slowly slide the items across the scanner.

A small beep rang out each time.

"They get in trouble often, and they can be reckless, but it doesn't change the fact that he's very important to me."

"Ah, so it's a boy then." The cashier smiled lightly, "A brother perhaps? Or maybe… a lover?"

Sakura blushed in surprise at the woman's tone.

A lover? Naruto?

There was no way…

Then again…

Her mind trailed off for several seconds, an image of the blonde appearing before her as she thought it over.

Those soft, golden locks…

That cheeky grin that was as bright as the sun itself…

And then there were those tiny little whisker marks he'd had since he was child, small tiny lines that she'd never been able to touch when she was younger. She'd touched them plenty of times now of course, what with all the healing she'd had to do for the blonde while he was asleep.

She'd touched him a lot.

No!

Sakura shook her head valiantly, driving the thoughts of that firm, lean body the blonde had gained over the years from her mind.

Those sessions had been for strictly professional reasons! She was a medic, she was entitled to see her patient's body if it was for their own wellbeing! Besides, it wasn't like she had gone off and seen _that_ after all.

Her blush darkened and she turned her head to the side, realizing that the cashier would start getting curious if she was silent much longer.

She swiftly shook her head, providing the woman with a negative answer.

"N-No! Of course not! H-He's just… a friend."

"Is that so…?" the girl asked with a light smile, scanning the last of Sakura's bandages. "Well, even if you two aren't _that_ close… I can still tell that you truly care for him."

"Yeah…" Sakura smiled softly, "it'd be impossible not to."

"I find myself…" the cashier reached for a word. "Envious. It is not often you come across one with such willful determination to protect those close to them. These bandages… let them serve as proof of your bond with that person. Because… when a person has something important they want to protect… that is when they can become truly _strong_."

"E-Eh?" Sakura blinked in surprise, doing a double-take to make sure she wasn't mistaken.

For a moment there, almost certainly, she'd thought she'd seen a strange glint in the girl's eye.

However, it was gone as quick as it came, and the cashier had quickly finished scanning the items before setting the bag they'd been thrown in onto the counter.

"Your total comes to 1613 yen." The cashier explained, smiling back at Sakura happily.

The pinkette nodded slowly after a moment, reaching into her wallet and pulling out the coins needed to pay. After doing so, she grabbed the bags and made for the exit.

"Have a good day, Sakura-san." The girl called after her, "and by the way, I'm a boy."

"Eh?! What?!" Sakura gaped, nearly face-planting as she left the store.

Due to that surprise, it wouldn't be until she was back at the house that she realized…

She had never told the cashier her name.

_-Downstairs-_

"Come on, move faster! Faster!" Jiraiya roared, his arms folded impatiently as he watched Kiba spin in place. "You're still moving too slow! I thought I told you to increase your rotations by fifty? You've barely hit thirty three!"

"Well…" Kiba grunted, his face drenching with sweat despite having just returned from a break, "What you're asking me to do is easier said than done old man! Besides… this is embarrassing…."

Jiraiya laughed.

"Embarrassing? This?" the Sannin grinned darkly, "Well, if this isn't enough for you, I could always make you do it naked. Might even give me a few ideas for my latest book."

Kiba deadpanned.

"N-No… this is fine, Jiraiya-sama." He murmured.

Like he wanted to become a part of the Icha Icha series! As if! Who would want to have their body on display in ridiculously perverse positions, free for both men and women to gaze upon?!

The Inuzuka didn't, that was for sure.

"Rotations." Jiraiya reminded him.

Kiba sweatdropped, and continued to spin in place, Akamaru comically performing the same routine beside him.

They were like a pair of ballerina.

"_I'm gonna be dizzy…"_ the Inuzuka could only sigh, before returning to the problem at hand.

In the next room over, Sakura was having far less trouble sharpening her movements. Jiraiya had done well in showing the pinkette the error of her ways, having pounded on her relentlessly every time she left an opening.

It was taking time, but slowly, she was improving.

"SHANNA-Guwh?!"

The pinkette sputtered in pain as she stumbled back, Jiraiya's sharp fist to the gut having cut her signature line short.

"Come on, you still have a lot to improve on, don't you?" Jiraiya asked mockingly, motivating the girl to get back up and do better.

She scowled at him.

"_That's right… it'll take more than a simple blow like this to keep me down, CHA!"_ she launched herself forward, throwing her fist forward toward the older man's center.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Her sharp blows hit nothing but air, but she could feel herself improving. Openings that had left her vulnerable to attack had been closed; wasted movements that stole both time and energy had been tossed aside.

She was learning.

Jiraiya grinned, vanishing from the girl's view as she drove a fist forward that would have gone right through his head. He appeared moments later behind her, grabbing her by the ankle and swinging her backward.

Oh no.

He wasn't going to get away with that move again.

She rolled into the swing, landing gracefully before charging forward a second later.

Now… while there was still an opening in the Sannin's defense-!

"Cha!" she snapped, driving her right fist into the side of the man's cheek, pushing him backward.

He skidded backward slightly.

"Heh… so you finally managed to get a clean hit." The man murmured.

He ran a thumb across his lower lip, wiping away a small strand of blood that flowed from his mouth… and grinned.

"So why don't we go ahead and take things up to the next level?"

"The next level…?" Sakura frowned, taking several small leaps back to get away from the man.

"That's right." Jiraiya smirked, "From now on, I'll be coming at you with the full force of the super-pervert Jiraiya!"

Sakura's eye twitched in annoyance.

"H…"

"Hmm?" the man asked, blinking in confusion at the woman's sinister gaze.

"HENTAI NO BAKA!"

Another tremor shook throughout the basement, but the blonde in the next room over ignored it. He was too focused on surviving his own ordeal to worry about how the others were faring.

His face crunched as he felt the force of another deadly sharp blow slam into him, pushing him back into the wall. He didn't even have time to recover when the next fist came flying toward him.

"G-Guaaah!"

Jiraiya's arm swooped over the boy's head, the blonde having dropped down a millisecond prior in surprise and shock.

"Che… so it's too much for you huh?" the Sannin murmured, somewhat disappointed.

"W-What's the hell up with that response?! Of course it is!" Naruto snapped back, pointing a finger at the Sannin accusingly. "And how come Kiba and Sakura got to take a break huh?! That was completely uncalled for!"

"Heh, so that's what you're all worked up about?" Jiraiya smirked, "Sorry, but it couldn't be helped. Those two don't have the same level of stamina as you do. They _need_ to take breaks after strenuous amounts of activity. You don't have that problem."

Naruto sighed.

"Hai, hai… I got it already." The blonde sighed, waving a hand nonchalantly, "But… I'd still like to have a break every now and then too you know!"

"Hmph, you just don't appreciate my genius. Besides, you need to keep working as hard as possible today. You'll have to get this new style memorized, so it's only natural I'd keep you in here longer than the others."

"Mm…" Naruto grunted, his eyes narrowing somewhat.

This "Frog Kata" style Jiraiya had been revealing to the blonde was extremely complicated, filled with numerous stances and motions the blonde didn't completely understand. The Sannin had assured him that he needn't worry about some of the more complex motions, and that he didn't yet have the qualifications to use the style to the best of its ability to begin with.

But if that was the case, why would Jiraiya bother teaching it to him at all?

It was confusing, but Naruto knew better than to question the man when he felt something was important.

He had never let the blonde down in important times after all, and Naruto severely doubted he'd start now.

"So…" Naruto sighed, sucking up his inner protests to further the purpose of his being there, "What's the next step of this "style" of yours Pervy Sage?"

The man grinned, "Next step? Heh, you make it sound like you've finished the current one. But… I suppose I can show you once."

The man fell into another of his dramatic poses, but quickly shifted it into something that looked a bit more professional.

And then…

He thrust his hand forward with an open palm, clapping it against the wall. Seconds later, cracks began to appear. Naruto blinked in confusion.

"Eh…? What…?"

"The next step is referred to as the Kawazu Tataki, or Frog Strike. Using an open palm, you slam your hand into your target, injecting your own chakra into the target at the same time. The point of impact will create a ripple, and your chakra will echo throughout your target in waves. It's a useful move when you need to put someone down quickly, and the amount of chakra you inject varies the strength of the attack as well. For someone who has as much chakra as you, it wouldn't be a surprise if this could end a battle in one blow."

A battle-deciding attack?

Count Naruto in.

"Amazing…" the blonde said in awe, staring at the cracks in the wall. "So… Pervy Sage, how much chakra did you use to show it off right now?"

"This?" Jiraiya asked, pointing at the cracks before thinking for a moment. "I'd say about… two percent."

Shocking.

Two percent, and he had created such large cracks…? Just what would happen if he went full force then…?

"Yosh!" Naruto grinned, leaping back to his feet and brimming with renewed vigor. "I'll finish this step and definitely learn that move, -tebayo!"

Jiraiya grinned.

Finally, they could get back to work.

_-Later-_

"Man, talk about a workout!" Kiba yawned, arching his back as Akamaru yipped in agreement beside him. "I've still got some work to do… might end up skipping school tomorrow to train some more!"

"You needn't bother." Sakura murmured, having been seated in the living room glancing at the television. "School is cancelled tomorrow, there'll be a bad storm, apparently."

"Huh? A storm?" Kiba blinked in surprise, glancing at the television in shock.

It was true.

On the television was a picture of a weather woman standing next to a large, elongated screen. There were pictures of a swirling mass of yellow and red approaching the island nation within.

"Hua-? What is this?!" Kiba asked in surprise, grasping both sides of the television in shock, "There's a storm? C-Crap! I gotta go, I left all the windows open at my place!"

Sakura deadpanned, watching the teen rush out the house with Akamaru close at his heels.

"_He's a ninja… and he left the windows open?"_ she thought.

The door slid shut behind them, and Sakura sighed.

"Well, it's just as well I suppose. With Kiba gone I'll be able to have some peace and quiet…" she leaned back in the couch, enjoy the soothing sensation that came with having just gotten out the bath.

There was a sudden rumble from beneath her, and she frowned.

"…or not." She muttered, "Don't tell me… those two are still going?"

She glanced toward the closet hiding the entrance to the basement eerily.

There was a second rumble seconds later.

"_They are!"_ she thought in surprise, _"Seriously?! Don't those two ever take a break?"_

Downstairs, Jiraiya grinned.

"Good. Again!"

"Yosh…" Naruto murmured, thrusting his open palm forward yet again. "Haa!"

The giant rock Jiraiya had conjured up splintered, but did not quite break.

"Again!"

"Ya!"

"Again!"

"Haa!"

The Sannin smiled, his arms folded patiently as the blonde in front of him continued to work hard.

"_Heh, he complains about not having a break but show him something interesting and he just won't quit…"_ he closed his eyes, hiding what would have been a boisterous laugh beneath his breath, _"If he gets this excited just about learning a Taijutsu technique… what'll happen the day I finally decide to teach him the Rasengan?"_

He could only grin, imagining the look that would be on the blonde's face.

But that day was far off.

Zabuza however, was not.

As the threat looming over his student returned to the forefront of Jiraiya's mind, the Sannin frowned.

He'd have Naruto prepared for the battle that was to come. He had sworn it to Kushina, the last time they spoke. He glanced toward the small television behind them, watching the tempest that was quickly approaching the city.

A storm was coming…

And the three would be ready.

* * *

_-Chapter Five-_

* * *

_**END**_


	6. Tempest

"Again!" Jiraiya roared.

"Haa!"

The rock shattered into pieces, shards of the stony material flying about the room and scratching into the tiles.

From his place in the middle of the room, Naruto Uzumaki grinned.

"I… I did it!"

It had taken him quite some time. The entire night in fact. But he'd finally managed to get a hold on the Kawazu Tataki.

He stumbled backward softly, a wave of exhaustion rushing over him as he gazed up toward the ceiling.

Jiraiya stood beside him, smirking.

"Well, it's about time gaki." He grinned, his arms still folded in a patient manner, "You only kept me up all night. It's too bad. I had intended to teach you more… but it looks like we might have to stop here for now."

"What? No way Pervy Sage!" Naruto shouted out in shock, "I need you to teach me even more powerful techniques like that!"

"Strange." Jiraiya countered, "I seem to recall just several hours ago you were begging me for a break. And now that you're presented with one you just want to keep training?"

"Of course! Up until you showed off that cool technique of yours everything looked so boring and forced! How was I supposed to know this Frog Kata stuff was really badass?"

"You should've known it the moment I told you!" Jiraiya found himself roaring, "Have you forgotten who I am Naruto?" he asked, preparing to perform yet another dramatic pose. "I am a man whose name echoes across the region! I am the one who stalks through the steam! A lover of both women and jutsu, I have scaled the heights of Mt. Myouboku and returned alive! I am the super pervert- No, I am one the three great Sannin, Jiraiya! _Everything_ I do is "badass.""

Naruto deadpanned, staring at the man lamely.

"Ah… I see. Is that why you feel the need to keep introducing yourself every day?"

"What?!" Jiraiya squawked, "I'll have you know it's a very important part of my routine! Besides…" he grabbed his chin thoughtfully, giving off a blinding smile that could rival the likes of a legendary spandex ninja, "if I didn't introduce myself… how else would people recognize me as the author of Icha Icha?"

Naruto turned away from him, walking away briskly.

"Forget it." The blonde murmured as he did so, his eyes still dulled over in a deadpan manner, "I'm going to sleep after all. I should've known it'd be ridiculous to try and take you seriously at this time of night."

The Sannin's eyes went wide as Naruto made to leave the room.

"Wait, Naruto!" he called after the boy, raising his arm desperately just as the blonde reached the doorway.

Surprisingly, the blonde stopped.

"What…?" he asked warily, creaking his neck around slowly so his head was facing the man.

"Before you go," Jiraiya spoke seriously, his eyes glinting in the light, "there is one last thing I want you to learn."

Naruto blinked in confusion, but listened to the man's words.

Maybe he wouldn't be returning to his bed after all.

* * *

**Naruto: Path to Kage**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**Tempest**

* * *

The sound of falling rain beating against the roof echoed through the house, filling the rooms with the moist sensation one could only find in Nami no Kuni.

In the far off corners of the living room, Naruto and Sakura sat quietly, their eyes focused not on each other, but rather on the impossibly vile foe that rested before them...

Homework.

Not shinobi homework. Not scrolls of forbidden jutsu and secret fighting techniques.

No.

_High School_ Homework.

Naruto felt his eye twitch as he heard the sound of pencils scribbling away on the other side of the table, and sighed.

Why did he have to get stuck doing this on a rainy day? He should be back downstairs training some more, using that new technique Jiraiya had taught him to kick butt and take names! But no, the perverted Sannin just had to receive some important information that sent him spiraling out the door for a meeting.

Of course, he only did so after making it perfectly clear that neither he nor Sakura was to leave the house, and that they weren't exactly supposed to train either. Something about rest being just as important as exercise, or something.

Naruto snorted.

Who needed rest? He felt like he could go on for days, weeks even! Certainly, Sakura and Kiba probably wouldn't be able to keep up with his level of stamina, but that didn't mean that he had to slow down with them!

Sakura too, must have been having similar thoughts regarding her own orders, as her head had drooped down as a small trembling overtook her.

"Sakura…" Naruto murmured softly, catching the girl's attention.

"I know, Naruto." She replied seriously, "It can't be helped. With Jiraiya-sensei gone we can't use the room as freely as we please… that being said… even I'm feeling affronted with these level of exercises… how on earth did you put up with this for so many years?"

She was of course referring to Iruka's homework assignments.

While it was perfectly natural to be on this level if you were a _civilian_, those who were part of the ninja society were expected to have long since passed high school level education. Even the secret academy they'd both attended as children had crammed into them the secrets of Trigonometry and Basic Chem. Even someone like Kiba would have been able to breeze his way through the classes, never mind the geniuses!

Naruto sighed again, leaning back as he replied to the pinkette with a small shrug.

"I don't know. I just stopped caring after a while. You get used to it, I guess…" he replied, glancing back at the nearly completed sheet. "Besides, if it gets you an easy A… who cares if it's child's play, right?"

"Mm… maybe." Sakura replied, thinking it over deeply, "But I still don't like the idea of doing work that doesn't challenge me."

"Sakura…" the blonde sighed, "this is what it means to be a civilian. Besides, I don't want to get pushed ahead several grade years because I suddenly decide to show off my ninja smarts. Remember, I was trying to live a _normal_ life up to this point, not one of fame and recognition."

The girl frowned slightly.

"Well, that's true, but you're not trying to be normal any more. You're going to be Hokage, so you should be pushing yourself both physically _and_ mentally to prepare yourself for the job! Your dad was known as one of the most powerful shinobi of all time, you need to at least bring yourself up to his level!"

"What do you think we've been doing?" Naruto deadpanned, "Besides, that pervy old sage made it clear we weren't supposed to do anything else until he got back, as annoying as it is. I want to train some more too you know? I finally learned this really awesome technique too!"

Sakura blinked in surprise.

That's right. She didn't know how she'd forgotten. Naruto and Jiraiya had stayed up much later than her, working on _something_ even after she had finally drifted off to sleep. The girl had overheard part of their conversation about Naruto wanting a break earlier but… it seemed like he was taking the situation just as seriously as she was, if not more so. Her lips curled upward slightly, a small smile gracing her face.

"An awesome technique huh…?" she asked jokingly, "I hope he didn't teach you something perverted."

"Eh? No way!" the blonde shouted confidently, "Even if Pervy Sage writes though porn novels, he knows better than to teach me something like that you know!"

"Oh…?" Sakura asked, setting her chin in her palm as she listened to the boy, "Well then, what does this new technique of yours do?"

"Oh! Well…" Naruto grinned, "It's a little hard to explain but… imagine that you are a great ocean, and in this ocean, a single pebble falls. It wouldn't make much of a ruckus, would it?"

"Well… no." Sakura murmured, "It might make a small ripple or two, but there wouldn't be any longstanding effects… where are you going with this?"

"Ah, I'm getting there." The blonde grinned, quickly continuing with his explanation, "Now, imagine that instead of a pebble, what fell was something larger… heavier… like say… a meteor, or something. It'd have a larger impact in the ocean than the pebble, right?"

"Well, yes. But that's only natural. A meteor is likely to weigh more-"

"Ah, but what if weight had nothing to do with it?" Naruto cut her off, "What if the pebble could generate as much force as the meteor?"

"What?"

It was strange, but the blonde had lost Sakura.

He sighed. In moments like this, there was only one thing to do.

"Kawazu Tataki!"

He slammed his hand into the table, and Sakura's eyes went wide as she watched it _ripple_.

The very law of physics defied themselves as the table wobbled and shifted, but did not break. While this itself was not surprising to Sakura –they were ninja who broke the laws of physics every day after all- the fact that something so concrete and solid had moved in such a fluid, _liquefied_ manner had caught her off guard.

And then…

Nothing.

There was no sudden splinter of wood. No sudden, flashy explosion that was expected when it came to the girl's beloved blonde.

Just silence… and disappointment.

Try as she might to make a smiling face, Sakura could not hide the fact that she was left waiting for the punch line.

But none came.

"Well," she spoke finally, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen between them, "it certainly is… _interesting._"

"Ngh…" Naruto frowned, pulling his open palm back and crossing his arms confidently. "I just didn't put enough chakra into the technique… probably for the better, now that I think about it."

Indeed. Who knew what Jiraiya's reaction would have been if he came home to find the table and other various items snapped in half, never mind what would have happened to their homework. At times, Iruka could be more terrifying than even the greatest of shinobi themselves.

He sighed, slumping back to his chair in defeat before scribbling the last few answers of his homework down upon the small sheet. It wasn't like there was anything else for them to do, not with Jiraiya's orders and such a powerful storm raining outside.

Slowly, Naruto glanced upward, staring at the pink-haired kunoichi who had also made it a point to finish their assignments.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," the blonde began, catching her attention once more, "what'd the Pervy Sage teach you anyway? You must've been hitting things pretty hard. I could hear you all the way over in the other room at the time."

The girl frowned.

"Nothing too important," she mused, "sharpening my blows… leaving less openings to my opponent. Taijutsu stuff. He said most of my problem wasn't in my techniques, as even a single one of them could have devastating effects on the target, but rather, in how I utilize them. I can still feel the sores from where he counterattacked…" she grumbled, rubbing a part of her arm idly.

"Heh… Pervy Sage does that a lot, doesn't he?" Naruto asked aloud, smiling thoughtfully at the words.

"Hai." Sakura agreed.

Another wave of silence fell between them, and again the scratching of pens could be heard.

"Say, Sakura." Naruto spoke again, trying to keep some form of communication going between them, "I've been meaning to ask you, how did you-?"

Unfortunately for him, the sudden sound of a knocking door interrupted him. The blonde frowned, glancing away from Sakura to face the sound.

"Is someone seriously out there in this weather…?"

"Are you sure it just wasn't some of the rain?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Well, maybe… but it sounded a bit louder…." Naruto murmured, making to stand.

Sakura followed. If there was someone at the door, there was no telling if it was a friend or an enemy. Better to be on the safe side, just in case.

The door knocked again, followed by the sound of a familiar whine.

Sakura's unease faded, and she quickly followed the blonde to the door.

There was only one person they knew who had a dog that made _that_ kind of noise after all.

Naruto frowned grumpily, swinging the door open wildly as he came face to face with a drenched Kiba; Akamaru's soaked body was whining worriedly atop the Inuzuka's head.

"What is it Kiba? You didn't run through this weather for no reason did you?" the blonde asked in mild annoyance, stopping once he saw the serious look on the boy's face.

He frowned.

"What is it?"

Kiba panted softly. It looked as though he'd run there directly from his own apartment, nearly halfway across the city.

"We've… We've got trouble!" he shouted finally, shocking both his allies as he pulled a small machine from the inner folds of his hoodie.

Sakura knew what it was immediately.

A video recorder.

But… for what purpose did Kiba have one?

She glanced at the item curiously, watching as the Inuzuka stumbled inside out the rain.

"Kiba, what are you talking about?" Naruto grimaced, setting a hand on the boy's shoulder, "What kind of trouble are we in?"

"Z-Zabuza…" the Inuzuka explain, earning a whine from Akamaru at the words, "He… here, just take a look for yourself!"

He shoved the video recorder into the blonde's hands, watching the rest of the group's eyes narrow accordingly.

"You're saying… Zabuza sent this to you?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowing. "What's on it?"

"Just watch." Kiba breathed, "And you'll find out."

Sakura peeked over the blonde's shoulder so she too could have a clear view of the recorder's video. Naruto himself blinked twice more in confusion, before turning the recorder around so the screen faced toward him, and pushed play.

The screen fuzzed and crackled, but before long, the sound of crackling thunder emitted from the speaker, and the picture came into view.

_Rain poured around them, and the wet, soaking face of a tanned man came into view. He grinned, revealing his gleaming jaws as his brown eyes somehow stood out amongst the dark scenery caused by the pouring rain._

Naruto and Sakura both frowned.

"Is that… Zabuza?" they asked in unison, earning a narrow look from Kiba.

"Keep watching." He told them, "It hasn't even started yet."

The two looked at him in confusion, before drawing their attention back to the screen.

"_Greetings, Namikaze." The man grinned eerily, flashing his teeth through the storm, "Or would you prefer to be called Uzumaki these days? I suppose it doesn't matter, so why don't I cut the introductions and get down to business? It's not like you haven't already met Haku after all."_

_He turned the recorder behind him as he said this, the masked figure who had attacked the group earlier appearing solemnly beside the man. In a flash the recorder was once again focused on the tanned man, his eyes narrowing sinisterly as he began to speak once more._

"_You know why we're here Uzumaki. Haku has made it clear to me that you have no intention of giving up on your ninja lifestyle, so, that leaves us in a very precarious position. You see, I've been hired to eliminate you, and while I could easily do so, Haku here has convinced me to give you one last chance. Of course, I'm not one to make things simple, so I've prepared a little game for you naïve brats."_

_Again the recorder shifted, and the sound of splashing footsteps could be heard._

"_You know this brat, right?" Zabuza questioned, gleaming at the recorder as it turned, showing the soaked, unconscious form of Sora._

Naruto's eyes went wide.

"Sora!" he shouted, knowing full well the boy wouldn't be able to hear him from wherever they were.

Sakura narrowed her eyes, thinking the situation over in her mind. They wouldn't have taken a civilian hostage for no reason. Haku must have been following them during their "tour" of Nami no Kuni…. Which meant they knew how much of a bond the two had over the years. He bit her thumb in annoyance.

So that was what they were playing at.

_Zabuza grabbed the boy by the chin, ruffling his head at the camera roughly._

"_Ah yes, that's right. This is that classmate of yours you seem to spend some of your time with. I wonder, how would it feel to sacrifice his life in place of yours?"_

"Sacrifice?" Naruto whispered slowly, his eyes narrowing angrily.

"_His life or yours. A wonderful idea is it not?" Zabuza asked, kicking Sora into the ground as he stood back up, "A civilian for a ninja, a ninja for a civilian! Ordinarily such choices would be simple… but I know how much this brat means to you, Uzumaki. I wonder, will you abandon him to save your own skin, or will you march knowingly to your death? We'll be waiting at the pier in the Financial District for your answer. Well, until the end of the day that is. If you don't show up by then… well…" he grabbed Sora's head again, leaning the unconscious boy back up, "I think you know what will happen."_

The screen flashed with another bolt of lightning, and the picture cut out.

Naruto tightened his grip on the item angrily. They couldn't go after him directly, so they went after Sora instead to draw him out, was that it?! His pupils flashed red for the briefest of moments, but no one caught it.

Sakura did however seem to notice the sudden duress the boy was under, and put a soothing hand on his shoulder. She knew what he wanted to do. To anyone who knew the blonde it was obvious. If nothing else, the look on his face gave it away.

It was time to suit up.

_-PtK-_

The sound of splashing footsteps could be heard as the group ran toward the pier, all clad in their own unique ninja gear. The storm still raged fiercely, showering the city in cold waves of rain as plumes of winds blew through the districts powerfully.

But none of that mattered.

Naruto's eyes were focused forward as he leapt toward the stated location.

He knew that Zabuza had the advantage.

The pier itself was a location the blonde had not been too often, and with the skillsets both Haku and Zabuza's lackeys, the Demon Brothers, had shown, it was not too much of a stretch to assume that the man had an arsenal of Water Release techniques as well.

Given the location of the pier, that would provide Zabuza with a heavy field advantage, never mind the fact that he had chosen to enact his plan on the day of a _fucking_ storm.

Despite this, Naruto lead his group onward.

Regardless of whatever advantage, or tactics the man had in his favor, he had made a terrible mistake.

He had dragged someone who didn't know anything, someone who was uninvolved into the equation.

And Naruto was not going to stand for it.

He and the rest of the team landed gracefully at the edge of the pier, the large pools of water splashing about as their feet made contact with the concrete below.

They could see Zabuza in the distance, his arms folded patiently as he stood in front of the still unconscious Sora.

No doubt Zabuza had used some combination of drugs or Genjutsu to lull the boy into such a deep sleep.

After all, even if the civilian had been promised death if the blonde didn't show, revealing the existence of shinobi was still a heavy crime, even for "mercenaries" and "missing ninja".

Still, that was good.

It meant that Naruto didn't have to worry about Sora waking up in the middle of what was about to happen.

That would be awkward, nonetheless dangerous, for all parties involved.

His eyes steeled, and quickly the blonde scanned the surroundings.

Zabuza and Sora were both in sight, but Haku was nowhere to be seen. Had he been ordered to stay away, or was he hiding amongst the rain and shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly.

Better to proceed cautiously, just in case.

He stepped forward onto the pier, Sakura and the Inuzuka pair trailing lightly behind him.

From the other side, Zabuza grinned.

"Hnn… so you came, Uzumaki."

"I did." The blonde confirmed with restrained rage.

He swooped his arm out to the side angrily.

"Now let Sora go!"

"Heh, not quite yet, brat." Zabuza said, glancing at the group through the rain. "There's not enough corpses laying around just yet."

The Demon of the Hidden Mist heaved his arm out from over his back, slamming a heavy-handed broadsword shaped like a butcher knife down into the earth. He grinned, flooding the area with his killing intent as he stared at the group, watching them tense in fear.

A low chuckle escaped his lips.

"If you can hardly take that… how will you handle the real thing?"

He vanished in an instant, reappearing beside the blonde with the blade, Kubikiri, raised as if it were a baseball bat.

He swung at the blonde's neck, intending to end it in a single moment.

Unfortunately for him, Naruto wasn't going to go down without a fight.

The group had not been idle during Zabuza's sudden movement, nor had they been tensing in fear. Naruto himself had been drawing his ninjato.

And that one motion would save his life.

Steel met steel, and Naruto grunted the weight of Zabuza's impact. Before he knew what had happened, the man's foot had buried itself in his chest, kicking him backward away from the rest of the group.

Zabuza soon leapt after him, much to Sakura and Kiba's chagrin.

"Naruto!" the pinkette shouted, leaping forward with Kiba and Akamaru, intending to join the fray.

They would be stopped by a sudden wave of icy senbon landing at their feet.

Haku materialized in front of them through the thick rain, his masked appearance putting the two ninja on edge.

"Zabuza called you… Haku, correct?" Sakura asked, receiving a slight tilt of the head in reply.

"I apologize," Haku spoke softly, "but I cannot allow you to interfere with Zabuza-sama's battle. If you truly wish to move forward, then you'll have to get through me first!"

Kiba grinned eagerly, readying himself in a fighting stance after tossing Akamaru a Soldier Pill.

"That's just fine with me!" he barked, "I've been meaning to get you back for putting me out so easily last time anyway!"

Akamaru yipped in agreement.

Sakura too, prepared herself for battle against the shinobi before them. It wasn't anything personal, but she'd be damned if she let some perfectionist Ice Nin keep her from Naruto.

"Let's do this, Shannaro!"

She slammed her fist into the ground at the words, dirt and debris erupting from the point of impact, forcing Haku to leap back.

Too bad. The Inuzuka wouldn't let him get away that easily.

"**Gatsuuga!**" the twin roar came just as Sakura expected, and she looked up to see the twin tornadoes collide on each side of Haku.

No doubt the low visibility caused by such thunderous rain had helped. Even so, sight wasn't something that'd hinder Kiba or Akamaru. Not with those noses of theirs at any rate.

Zabuza's cohort grunted as he crashed to the ground in a flop, quickly retreating back to his feet and leaping away from the trio gracefully. His left sleeve was torn from the impact caused by Kiba's attack.

Sakura grimaced. The boy must have dodged at the last minute.

Even so, that just meant they'd have to hit him again!

Kiba and Akamaru must have had similar thoughts, as they launched forward at the same time Sakura did, all of them with a single target in mind.

Haku grunted at the motions, kneeling down and hurriedly flourishing through a set of seals.

"**Secret Technique:**" he muttered, glancing up as the rain around him seemed to stop in midair, sharpening themselves before aiming at the approaching group, "**Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!**"

The floating pools of water suddenly shot forward in the form of needles, cleaving through the air as they sped on the path toward the team.

Sakura's eyes widened as she felt a small cut suddenly slash against her cheek.

"Up!" she shouted almost immediately, and the group _leapt._

Not a moment too soon from the looks of it. Sakura's eyes only widened furthered upon seeing just what they'd managed to avoid. No sooner had they gone above did the area they were standing in suddenly sparkle with water, the usually docile liquid having been transformed into something lethal.

The group landed not long after, surrounding Haku on all sides as they prepared to lunge forth again. The masked man smiled, slightly.

"I see. You must have undergone some form of training after our last meeting. Regardless, it alone will not give you enough of an edge to defeat me."

"You should save the gloating until after you've won." Sakura informed him, lunging from behind and grabbing Haku by the shoulder. "Otherwise… you'll just be making yourself look like a fool if you lose!"

"_From behind?! And so quickly!"_ Haku thought, raising a one-handed seal as he was turned toward Sakura's raised fist. _"Ice Release:"_

"Shannaro!"

The pinkette's fist flew forward.

"_Ice Dome!"_

_-Shipyard: Storage Bay-_

Naruto hacked as he was kicked through the wall into the building, rolling and cluttering around on the ground before steadily rising back to his feet.

"_Well…"_ he thought sourly, _"at least we're out of the rain."_

He reequipped both hands on his ninjato, poising it calmly toward the gaping hole he came through. At any moment, Zabuza would come charging through, intent on decapitating the boy as swiftly as possible.

The blonde didn't have to wait long.

The man's wild eyes came charging through the dust, hurling down at the boy angrily with Kubikiri raised fiercely above his head.

Naruto grunted as he parried the blow quickly, blocking the follow-up swing with this steel of his blade before leaping away from the mercenary swiftly. Zabuza seemed to have slowed for a moment, again lifting the blade over his shoulder as if the blonde was no large threat.

He grinned.

"Heh, running away already? What's the matter? Weren't you going to save that worthless friend of yours?" the man asked sarcastically.

"He's not worthless!" Naruto snapped back, frowning as he thought over the small parts of the battle that had led to them landing in this location _"But as much as I hate to admit it, he's right! Up until now I've just been ducking and dodging, barely avoiding his attacks! If I'm going to have any chance of getting us out of here alive…" _he tightened the grip on his blade, _"I'll have to go on the offensive!"_

Not even a second after finishing his thought did Naruto launch forward, sweeping the ninjato in a clean arc toward Zabuza. The man made no move to dodge or block, and instead just smirked as the blade cleaved through him whole.

He soon splashed away, revealing himself to be nothing more than a body double made of rain water.

"_A clone?!"_ Naruto thought in panic, glancing up as the real Zabuza dropped toward him from the shadowy ceiling above.

The blonde quickly rolled away, narrowly escaping the cold impact that the Kubikiri had with the ground. He quickly scrambled back to his feet, just in time to block another blow from the famed swordsman.

Sparks flew from their steel as they pushed towards each other, glaring into each other's eyes all the while.

"You made a mistake in coming here brat." Zabuza lectured, pulling back for a moment only to swing his blade in a different direction, which Naruto again blocked. "Shinobi are supposed to kill their emotions! There's no way any self-respecting ninja would risk their own life to come rescue some worthless civilian."

"The only one who made a mistake was you Zabuza!" Naruto countered, deflecting the blade before flipping back into the air, "If you think I'm gonna let you get away with kidnapping one of my friends, then you've got another thing coming!"

He launched forward again, only to be met with Zabuza's knee driving itself up inside his gut. The blonde's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he was abruptly smashed into the ground by Zabuza's free hand, leaving the mercenary to tower over the boy.

His eyes gleamed nastily.

"Friends?" Zabuza asked, "Friends are worthless. They'll abandon you at the drop of a hat to save their own skin. Makes you wonder, doesn't it Uzumaki?" he continued, raising Kubikiri to end this farce, "Where are your friends now?"

He dropped the blade, severing the boy's head.

Or at least he would have, if it hadn't become a log.

Zabuza wheeled around in surprise at the sudden motion, his arm suddenly searing in pain as the blonde sped past him, driving his blade through the man's skin.

Blood splattered across the floor of the building, Zabuza's eyes widening in rage as he took a single step back.

"My friends are dealing with that associate of yours." Naruto replied easily, slowly shifting his eyes to gaze at the bleeding man, "But you already knew that, didn't you Zabuza?"

"Hn…" Zabuza smirked back, turning as he shook off the stinging sensation now drifting across his arm. "Those brats have just about as good a chance of beating Haku as you do of killing me. That boy… I've trained him since childhood. There's no way he'll lose to a bunch of greenhorns who have yet to even take a life."

"You underestimate us." Naruto replied, grabbing his blade once more, "Sakura and Kiba are more than enough to deal with that pal of yours! They won't lose, -tebayo!"

Zabuza's eyes gleamed.

"Is that so?" he asked, raising his bloodied arm slowly.

He formed a single seal.

"We'll just have to see about that then, won't we?"

Suddenly, a thick fog rolled in from the outside, covering the room in its dense mist. Naruto's eyes went wide in recognition, his head turning around rapidly in search of the mercenary.

"_I recognize this technique!" _the blonde thought hurriedly, _"It's the Hidden Mist Jutsu, the same one the Demon Brothers used on me and Sakura!"_

The sound of a blade slicing through the fog suddenly erupted from behind the blonde, and Naruto ducked down, rolling backward quickly to gain some distance between himself and the man.

"Feh, so you dodged it…"

Naruto grunted, saying nothing else as he felt blood run down the side of his face.

"Oh?" Zabuza's voice asked again, "Perhaps not. Maybe you aren't as skilled as I took you for. No matter. It'll only make fulfilling my contract that much easier!"

Naruto inhaled and swiveled around, his ninjato clattering against the weight of Kubikiri as Zabuza's face erupted from the midst. The blonde stumbled back, giving the mercenary an opening that he took.

Zabuza's leg against shattered against Naruto's ribs, bones creaking but not quite breaking as the blonde went flying into the wall.

Naruto coughed blood as he fell, the force of the impact having weighed heavily upon him.

"_Not good."_ He thought rapidly, _"This mist is much thicker than the one the Demon Brothers used. I really can't see anything until it's nearly too late!"_ he frowned, steadily climbing back to his feet. _"But I'm not out of this yet. Guess it's a good thing I stayed behind to learn from Pervy Sage after all. Looks like I may have to use that other technique he taught me."_

What Naruto was referring to was not the Kawazu Tataki, but a passive ability the Sannin had informed him about afterward. One that many people had talent for, but failed to acquire, for lack of trying.

The blonde furrowed his brow, lightening the grip on his blade before closing his eyes.

He knew what he had to do. Of course, it would be his first time doing it in real combat. Up until that point he'd only had a few hours training with the Pervy Sage, and _that_ was with little more than small pebbles and sticks! It was the real deal. Do or die.

The best place for Naruto to strut his stuff.

"_Focus,"_ the blonde told himself, _"Remember everything around me… the cracked floor, the rain outdoors, even the tiles on the walls and the lights on the ceiling above."_

Quickly, he reconstructed the environment in his mind. It was a rough sketch, but it'd have to do. With the mist, it wasn't like he'd be able to get a clear representation anyway.

"_Done. And now… using what I know about the environment…. Search out my opponent. Burrow deep and find that small degree of intent that announces his location. Come on Uzumaki… Come on…!"_

A sudden surge of killing intent flourished beside the blonde, and Naruto immediately knew he had succeeded. Again the grabbed his blade, slicing it downward in a vertical arc, and meeting the cool steel of Kubikiri head on.

Zabuza grunted in mild annoyance.

"How did you know?" he asked, falling back from the clash and skidding back as the mist faded somewhat.

"Heh…" Naruto murmured, readying his stance once more. "_Empathy_, that's how."

Empathy.

The capacity to recognize another's feelings, emotions, and motives, and sometimes identify them with your own. Just as one could easily press their own killing intent down on others as a form of pressure, so too could one seek out the intent, if they knew what to look for. It had been cutting it close, Naruto knew, but perhaps there was something good to use the technique Jiraiya had taught him after all.

"Now… shall we continue?" the blonde asked, and Zabuza surged.

_-Pier-_

Sakura grunted in annoyance, leaping back as the small dome Haku had created at the last moment defended against her attack, shattering into small pieces as the masked man was left unharmed.

"It seems you are stronger than I initially took you for, Haruno-san." Haku murmured. "You as well, Inuzuka-san. A shame. I had hoped to avoid contending with promising ninja like yourselves."

"Well," Kiba grinned, "You should have thought about that before you teamed up with trash like Zabuza! Let's go Akamaru, **Gatsuuga!**"

Again, the two transformed mid leap into a spiraling pair of tornadoes, roaring through the area toward Zabuza's young accomplice. Haku's eyes flashed beneath his mask, and just like during their first encounter he leapt forward, appearing on the other side before slinging some senbon toward them from behind.

Kiba grinned, knowing full well what was happening.

"Sorry!" he called out from the tornado, "But that won't work this time!"

It was true. No later did the senbon collide with the twin typhoons did they scatter off, colliding with the ground below noisily.

"Akamaru and I increased the power of our technique!" Kiba explained, swirling around for a second go at the boy, "There's no way a simple senbon will be enough to take us out now!"

Haku barely had enough to time to dodge before Sakura was upon him, her fist flying down to end their battle in a single blow. Quickly, the masked boy swept forth, ducking behind the pinkette and spinning sideways, kicking her from behind toward Kiba and Akamaru.

The girl grunted in annoyance as she skidded to a halt, her allies flying past her in yet another Gatsuuga technique to capture Haku and end it.

Unfortunately, by the time they reached him, Haku had already finished another various set of seals.

"**Ice Release: Twelve Shivering Spears!**"

Haku slammed his hands down as he finished speaking, the force of chakra he released lighting the pools of water beneath him into a plain of ice. Seconds later the ground cracked, and great pillars of icy spears shot out from the earth, homing in toward the Inuzuka pair.

Kiba grimaced from within his own technique, nodding once toward Akamaru as they veered off from their original path. The ice spears followed, wrapping inward and upward as they followed the pair everywhere they went.

"_Tch… they're not letting up!"_ Kiba thought angrily, flying upward alongside Akamaru as the spears homed in. _"No choice then, we'll have to cut them off!"_

The two tornadoes veered off from each other, still heading upward as Haku's technique continued to follow. Before long they swerved once more, each tornado heading directly toward each other on a collision course.

Haku grunted, already realizing what it was the pair intended to do.

At the last moment before the tornadoes collided, Kiba and Akamaru canceled their technique, hovering in the ground for a split second before falling downward, allowing the numerous spear pillars to collide above them.

Shards of ice erupted outward as spear met spear, and the area around Haku began to condense into a debris-filled dome.

From her spot outside, Sakura grimaced. If she didn't get inside quickly, Kiba and Akamaru would be left to deal with the masked man alone, and that was not the best course of action in her mind. Adjusting herself quickly, she too leapt inside a visible hole in the dome, entering just before the path she had taken blocked itself off with another falling shard.

She ignored the close call she had, rushing forward quickly as she pulled her arm back to deliver another blow to Haku while he was still distracted.

"Shannaro!"

The sound of a solid impact rang echoed through the makeshift dome, the pinkette's chakra-enhanced fist colliding with the cracked mask Haku wore.

Zabuza's accomplice gagged at the impact, his body soaring backward as the mask shattered into hundreds of pieces.

His body landed on the opposite end of the dome as Kiba and Akamaru landed beside Sakura.

"Holy-! Nice job, Sakura!" the Inuzuka congratulated, still not taking his eyes off the senbon-user.

There was still no telling whether the battle was over or not.

Indeed, Haku had only remained still for several moments, before slowly crawling back to his feet once more.

Sakura's eyes widened, the lack of a mask revealing the face of their opponent.

"You're… You're that cashier at the pharmacy!" she accused, pointing at Haku in surprise.

"Hai," the boy replied smoothly, completing his action before slowly dusting off the dirt on his clothing. "It is as you say, Haruno-san."

Kiba's eyes narrowed further.

"What…? You know this guy, Sakura?"

"No… Not really but…" the pinkette frowned, "he sold the bandages I used to treat you and Naruto during Jiraiya-sama's training."

"Eh? This guy did…?" Kiba grimaced.

The girl remained in shock for a bit longer, before remembering their situation and reaffirming her battle stance.

"I'm surprised. I wouldn't have thought you'd allow me to buy such things. You had to have known who they were for." Sakura grimaced.

"Indeed." Haku replied easily, "I had no doubt that you had purchased the equipment for Uzumaki-san and Inuzuka-san, but it was not yet time for us to partake in battle."

"Even so," Sakura muttered, "I was an enemy. You could have easily gotten rid of me right then and there, especially when you explained your little "situation" to me."

"I will admit the thought did cross my mind," Haku revealed, slowing raising his own stance, "but I found myself more curious as to the thoughts you bore toward your teammates, and whether or not it was possible for you to become "truly" strong."

Kiba just glanced toward the two in confusion, not having any idea of what they were talking about. Akamaru growled beside him, not taking his eyes off the enemy for a single moment.

"Strength…" Sakura noted, her eyes gleaming, "You're talking about protecting one's precious person, right?"

"Hai. To see whether or not you have the strength of will to do what is necessary to protect those closest to you…" Haku explained once more, raising a batch of senbon in his left hand, "Just as I have killed my heart to do what is best for Zabuza-sama… I wondered if you too, would kill yours to do what is best for Uzumaki-san. Alas, it is for that reason that I feel I must also apologize to you, and you as well, Inuzuka-san."

"Apologize?" Kiba asked first, his stance raising further, "For what?"

Haku's cold eyes seemed to flicker between the three enemies he faced before he finished speaking.

"Because, as long as you three are trapped here with me, Uzumaki-san will be forced to contend with Zabuza-sama alone. And no matter how much training you three may have gained, the fact remains, that a single day is not enough to bring any of you up to Zabuza-sama's level." His eyes steeled, "Simply put, by the time our battle concludes… I have no doubt that Uzumaki-san will have died at Zabuza-sama's hand."

"You're wrong." Sakura disagreed forcefully, "While it's true Naruto-kun may not be able to defeat Zabuza alone… I have faith that he'll be more than capable of holding him off long enough for us to arrive and help him! Which is why… the three of us will just have to finish you off as quickly as possible!"

"Yeah," Kiba agreed, "anyone who beat me and Akamaru won't go down without a fight! Even if it's against an opponent who's twice as strong, and three times as fast… they won't go down. Ain't that right, Akamaru?!"

The dog yipped in agreement, its eyes still locked onto Haku's unmoving form.

"I see…" the feminine-looking boy replied softly, raising a single hand and shifting through strange seals. "In that case, allow me to drain you of whatever hope you have left. You three may have done well in contending with me thus far… but from here on out, the real battle will begin."

He finished his last seal, and opened his eyes as a cold chill swept through the dome.

"**Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!**"

The water pooling the floor of the dome suddenly flushed upward, surrounding the area in identical mirrors that strongly resembled those used in their first fight with Haku. There was only one difference. Instead of two, there were twelve; and that was only counting the ones that were just off the ground. Above those stood another six, pointing down off the ceiling of the dome.

It was a dome within a dome.

Haku soon dissolved inside one of the crystals, the shape of the mirror dome reflecting his image off each and every mirror present. Both Sakura and Kiba scowled at the scene.

"This again…" the pinkette grumbled, drawing a kunai from her pouch as Kiba did the same. "Get ready Kiba… looks like we're not out of the woods just yet."

"Right." The Inuzuka agreed.

Their eyes steeled.

Finally, their plan to defeat Haku could begin!

_-Storage Bay-_

The sound of steel clashing against steel resounded through the thick fog, yellow sparks the only thing visible as Naruto's battle with Zabuza continued.

"You little- Stand still!" Zabuza roared, swinging his Kubikiri downward as Naruto leapt out the way.

It had been like this for some time. Ever since Naruto had revealed his _Empathy_ technique, Zabuza had been unable to hide his location to the blonde. It was as if the mist had never been used in the first place.

"_Damn that brat!"_ the mercenary scowled, trailing the blonde's movements as he faded back into the mist, _"Who would've thought he'd have an ability to sense one's location?! If it hadn't been for him being the target, that ability of his might've made him a good lackey."_

"What are you thinking about now, Zabuza?" Naruto asked from behind, prompting the merc to swing his blade without hesitation.

Again their blades met, the mist fading somewhat to reveal their faces to the other.

"Give it up, Zabuza. Now this mist is hindering you just as much as it is me." Naruto grunted, "There's no point in leaving it around any longer! I can see you, no matter where you are!"

"Hn, that may be so…" Zabuza agreed, "But that doesn't mean I have to make it easy on you."

He pulled back, releasing their blades from the clash once again before taking off back into the mist.

Naruto grunted at the motion, lowering his blade once more as he searched out Zabuza's killing intent. It didn't take him long.

Their blades met in battle thrice more, both of their bodies moving fluidly with each motion as they attempted to gain an edge over the other. Naruto knew it was futile. Though it was true he'd been trained by Jiraiya, it was not in the art of swordplay. As it stood, he knew little more than basic motions and stabbing techniques, while Zabuza had his entire life to learn unique skills, motions, and effects. If the situation remained as it was, the blonde had no doubt he'd eventually fall due to the gap in their experience.

That was, so long as it remained a battle of swords.

If Naruto could separate the man from his blade, if he could make it a battle of wits and hand to hand combat, then maybe… just maybe, he'd have a chance!

But for that to happen, it was absolutely necessary to remove the blade from Zabuza's reach. It wasn't like he was foolish enough to take on the skilled swordsman with nothing but a kunai or unarmed hand after all.

The blonde knew he wasn't _that_ skilled.

Not yet.

He grunted as he deflected yet another of Zabuza's blows, skidding through the misty room, as he again locked onto the mercenary's location.

"Zabuza-!" he hissed out, launching a shuriken into the distance to catch the man by surprise.

There was the sound of an annoyed grunt, and slowly, the mist began to fade.

Zabuza too, came into view, a small trickle of blood flowing from his left cheek.

Naruto smirked.

So he skinned the man, barely.

"Alright Uzumaki." Zabuza grunted, "We'll play it your way. No mist… no fog… just pure out killing. But, if you think you're something special just because you could avoid my Silent Killing technique think again. Because now, you'll be facing pure experience!"

His eyes gleamed sinisterly, and he again launched himself forward, bringing the full weight of Kubikiri along with him. The floor of the room cracked and shuddered as the blade tore through it completely, and Zabuza leapt up, lifting the great broadsword above him before slamming it down upon Naruto's blade full-force.

The ninjato cracked, if only slightly.

"!"

Naruto didn't even have time to adjust himself before Zabuza had kicked him away, slamming him into yet another wall of the storage facility they were in. The blonde crashed to the floor, attempting to support himself with the cracked sword only for it to snap completely, the boy's own weight being more than enough to completely sever the blade from its hilt.

He crashed back to the floor.

"What's the matter?" Zabuza asked mockingly, Kubikiri heaved over his shoulder arrogantly as he walked toward the blonde slowly. "Don't tell me a broken blade is enough for you to get your panties in a twist. Weren't you gonna be Hokage?"

"Tch…" Naruto grimaced, tossing the hilt aside before steadily crawling back to his feet, using the wall to support himself. "Shut up! I will become Hokage, and I'll definitely beat you!"

""_Beat_" me?" Zabuza asked, his eyes narrowing in amusement. "Heh, Haku was right. You are pathetic. You don't even have an ounce of killing intent flowing through that body of yours, do you brat?"

"Shut up…." Naruto hissed weakly.

What was going on? His body felt sluggish all of a sudden… like something incredible was weighing down on him, drowning him…

"A Kage… doesn't need any killing intent. They just need to be able to protect everyone-!"

Zabuza had appeared before him in that instant, the great weight of Kubikiri tearing through the blonde's body, impaling him to the wall.

At that point, the mercenary spoke.

"At whose expense?"

Naruto's eyes widened incredibly, his body having yet to register the pain and deathly feeling of being impaled.

"Kage protect their appointed group, sure." Zabuza agreed, slowly pulling Kubikiri back toward him. "But how do they do it? Interrogation. Torture. Clients. Missions. Who goes on missions? Shinobi. Sure, on a daily basis the missions will be simple. Catch a cat. Babysit some important brat. But what happens when an important mission comes along? High-class. Assassination. Suicide Squads. Hunter-Ninja. Every day a Kage must decide who among their subordinates lives, and who faces the chance to die. And you say a Kage doesn't need Killing Intent? Heh… Naïve."

He pulled Kubikiri from the blonde's torso, watching as a current of blood flowed from the wound.

Naruto slid down from his place on the wall, sitting in a pool of his own blood as it continued to funnel outward. His eyes glazed over, and Zabuza couldn't tell if he was even conscious anymore, let alone alive.

"Ordinarily this is where I'd decapitate you." Zabuza grunted, "But you… you actually managed to piss me off, annoying squirt. So I won't do that just yet."

He glanced away from the blonde, back toward the opening in the wall where Haku was still battling with Sakura and Kiba.

"No… I think I'll have some fun with those friends of yours first. And then, when they're both filled with despair, and absolute hopelessness at their failure to protect you." He pointed the blade toward Naruto's head, its tip barely scratching one of his blonde locks, "That, is when I'll finish you off."

Zabuza heaved the blade back over his shoulder, and started to walk away.

_-Pier-_

"_It's time."_ Sakura thought, watching as Kiba deflected yet another wave of senbon from his side of the mirrors.

Both of them were covered in small needles, though they had somehow managed to prevent any of them from being a lethal hit.

Lucky.

"This battle is futile." The pinkette heard Haku mutter from one of the mirrors, "You must know that so long as my mirrors are active, you have no hope of victory."

"Heh, that's what you think." Kiba grunted, slowly skipping back toward his other teammate alongside Akamaru.

As their backs pressed alongside each other, Kiba turned his head slightly, moving to address the pinkette softly.

"It's about time, right?" he asked, earning a slight incline of Sakura's head, signaling a yes.

His lips curled upward slightly.

"Well, alright then. Let's do it. Akamaru!"

The dog yipped, rushing into motion and landing beside Kiba eagerly. His fur began to turn red.

"What?" Haku asked cautiously from inside his mirrors, "What is this? What are you doing?"

"Heh. It's about time for Akamaru and I to unveil our new technique!" Kiba explained, quickly discarding his kunai and furiously proceeding to crouch down on all fours alongside the dog. "You ready boy?!"

Akamaru barked, crouching down as well as Haku raised another batch of senbon from all sides.

"If you really think I'll allow you to simply use any technique you wish, then I'm afraid you have another thing coming!" he announced, launching the needles forth quickly in an effort to hinder their motions.

It wouldn't work.

Sakura had quickly leapt into action, using her own kunai to deflect as many as she could while giving Kiba and Akamaru the time needed to begin their movements.

It was time well spent.

The Inuzuka pair had rushed forth at amazing speed, whipping around the dome of mirrors not once, but twice as a torrent of wind began to drift around them.

But for once, it didn't appear as a swirling tornado.

Haku grimaced at the movements, tossing another wave of senbon at the pair only to watch in horror as the wind blew them away with ease.

"Impossible-!"

"Heh!" Kiba grinned, appearing above the highest mirror in a show of speed and force, "Nothing's impossible for me and Akamaru!"

The dog yipped in agreement, the swirling winds masking their bodies from view as they shifted into a rolling formation.

The wind roared around them like an angry buzz saw, threatening to shear through everything it touched, be it friend or foe.

"It's time!" Kiba howled in glee, wrapping forth and plowing toward the nearest mirror. "Let's go Akamaru!"

"**Gatenga! The Fang that Rotates the Fang!**"

No sooner did he finish his announcement did the twin buzz saws fly forth, sawing through the domes and wrapping around to do it again and again. Mirror fell upon mirror as the wind slashed through even the strongest of Haku's technique, shredding everything he had built to pieces in a matter of seconds. It was unthinkable, unbelievable, that such a thing could happen.

At least to him.

The dome around them had completely fallen apart, exposing them once more to the chilling elements of the storm outside. Rain poured upon the group as Kiba and Akamaru soon slowed, their exhaustion and inability to hold the technique for long showing as they fell to the ground beside Sakura in a heavy pant.

One mirror was left standing.

Sakura's eyes gleamed.

She knew what she had to do.

"No… for my technique to have been defeated so easily…!" Haku thought aloud, his eyes wide in surprise as he gazed at the group. "I need to finish them, quickly!"

He raised a final pair of senbon, but it was too late.

Sakura had appeared before the mirror, her right arm pulled back in a heavy show of force as her eyes gleamed with restrained rage.

"Haku!" she snapped, the amount of chakra in her fist so large that the group could literally _see_ its blue hue rolling off the pinkette's glove, "Clench those teeth!"

The boy's eyes widened, and Sakura _smashed_.

It took only a second for the mirror to disintegrate; shattering into a thousand, if not more, pieces.

It took another for Haku to realize that his face had been thoroughly, utterly, punched.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head, his body falling backward out the remains of the broken dome, crashing into a pool of water as he twitched in pain.

Sakura landed several feet away from him, releasing a single "tsk" before rising back to her feet, wiping off her bloody glove.

That punch had hurt.

She stood there for several seconds longer, ensuring that the boy didn't rise before turning back to Kiba.

"Kiba… looks like… it's finally over."

She wobbled slightly. Maybe she'd put more power in that punch than she thought.

"Not quite."

"!" Sakura and Kiba turned quickly, leaping back as several kunai drafted forth, landing at their feet.

"_No… can't be."_ They thought, watching as the silhouette from the shadows came into full view.

It was Zabuza.

"You…! What're you doing here?!" Sakura shouted, "Where's Naruto-?!"

Zabuza ignored their question, instead turning to glance at the unconscious form of Haku now laying before him.

"Heh… so you managed to defeat Haku did you? Well, I suppose he played his part well. And you know what they say." He glanced up at that, exchanging a glance with Sakura, "An eye for an eye."

Sakura's eyes widened.

An eye for an eye?

She knew what that meant.

Who couldn't?

They had beaten Haku. Zabuza had beaten Naruto.

An eye for an eye.

"Is he-?" Sakura uttered, her voice far higher than she would have liked.

Zabuza grinned.

"Who knows? I only impaled him after all." He showed off his bloody blade, pointing it toward them arrogantly, "Even if he is alive, he's likely to bleed out soon. Think you'll be able to take me out fast enough to get to him?"

Sakura didn't have to hear anything else.

Naruto was in danger.

_Her_ Naruto, was about to die, because she hadn't been there to help him.

She stared at Zabuza angrily.

This person, was in her, _their_, way.

And so, ignoring Kiba's sudden shout to be careful or some nonsense, Sakura leapt forward.

It was clear to her now.

Zabuza had to go.

* * *

_-Chapter Six-_

* * *

_**END**_


	7. Tails

Naruto's body sat quietly, soaked in its own crimson fluid as blood continued to pour and pour.

His glazed eyes gleamed once, revealing a flicker of life that still resided in the bones.

"_Every day a Kage must decide who among their subordinates lives, and who faces the chance to die." Zabuza spoke, "And you say a Kage doesn't need Killing Intent? Heh… naïve."_

"_I know…"_ Naruto thought to himself, _"I know I'm naïve. Saying that to someone like Zabuza… a person who had gone up against a Kage and lived to tell the tale… even if he didn't succeed… it was stupid. But… even so…"_

"_A Kage is one who exists to protect others." Haku explained, "And yet you… who cannot even protect yourself wishes to claim the title? How… humorous."_

"_I know…!"_ Naruto thought again, life again flickering in the otherwise cold, dead eyes his body now carried. _"It's funny! Humorous…! That someone like me…! Who ran away for so long…! But… I swore to myself… that day… that I wouldn't do it anymore."_

Flashes of Mizuki ran through his mind.

"_This time… and that time too…"_ the blonde continued to think, _"I was too weak. Too weak to beat Zabuza… too weak to stop Mizuki from pulling one over on me... Back then… if Sakura hadn't been a medic nin… then she most certainly would have…."_

_She would have died._

It would not have been the first time Naruto's weakness caused one's death.

Even before Sakura's reappearance in the blonde's life, there had been an event. A horrible, terrible event that had ceased his initial descent into the shinobi world. Even now, the name of the man who began the event still sent shivers down the boy's spine.

_Nagato Uzumaki._

But he was not important.

Not yet.

But at the same time he was.

Because Naruto had to remember. No…

He _needed_ to remember.

Flashes of his important battles sped through his mind one by one.

Mizuki.

The Demon Brothers.

Haku.

_Zabuza._

The important words that had been exchanged between them all.

"_Interesting…" Mizuki smirked, "So you inherited it after all… Naruto Namikaze."_

"_Being the flesh and blood son of Yondaime may have it perks," Meizu grinned, "but it only means you'll be targeted that more often."_

"_As you are now, neither of you will be able to survive." Haku's voice echoed._

"_Every day a Kage must decide who among their subordinates lives, and who faces the chance to die." Zabuza spoke, "And you say a Kage doesn't need Killing Intent? Heh… naïve."_

A Kage **needs** Killing Intent.

Who Lives?

Who Dies?

Kiba?

Akamaru?

Jiraiya?

Sakura?

Sora?

Naruto's eyes gleamed with life, and his body began to push itself upward out of the pool.

"_Never again."_ He thought darkly, a plume of steam erupting from his skin, a rising feeling building up in his chest as his wound suddenly began to knit itself shut. _"As long as I live… I'll never allow a comrade to die for my sake."_

His hands twitched, life flowing into them as they began to scratch at the bloodied floor below.

"_Up until now… even if I fought alongside them… I clung to my friends and my ties to them… to the idea that they'd always be there."_ Naruto's eyes darkened. _"Remember…"_

Again, flashes of his battle with Mizuki ran rampant in his mind, searching for that feeling of despair… that feeling of absolute _**power**_ that had come over him.

_A gleaming red eye shot out at him._

"_**I'll pound you."**_

An imaginary scenario overtook him.

"_Every day a Kage must decide who lives… and who dies…" Zabuza mocked. "Who will you sacrifice?"_

"_**We**__ will live, Zabuza!" Naruto snapped angrily, his mouth curled down into a nasty snarl. "And you… __**you**__ can die!"_

In the real world, Naruto's eye turned red…

And his world exploded in rage.

* * *

**Naruto: Path to Kage**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**Tails**

* * *

The battle was not going well.

Ever since Zabuza had appeared, the mercenary had taken to _toying_ with the three. It was obvious to everyone that he was in no hurry.

In mere seconds after her first rage-induced lunge, Sakura had been tossed aside as if she were a rag doll, and Kiba punted back into the large mass that was Akamaru.

The man didn't even bother to use Kubikiri on them.

Why would he?

The group had already proven to be exhausted, no doubt from their battle just prior with Haku. The mercenary chuckled darkly, glancing again at the unmoving figure of his subordinate.

"Looks like Haku didn't go down without a fight. As expected, you two aren't even worth fighting anymore."

Sakura's body creaked as she leaned upward, struggling up to one knee. She glared at the man defiantly.

"You…! Don't think I'll let you… get away easy…!" she stood slowly, running at the man softly and swinging her arm at him lazily.

Zabuza stepped to the side, allowing the pinkette to stumble past him before kicking her back into the stormy puddle that covered the ground below.

Again, he laughed.

"So this is what it's come to… a couple of brats and little ol' me. How embarrassing. It wasn't even worth taking the time to come over here."

Kiba growled, rising back to his feet alongside Akamaru as they prepared for another pincer attack.

"Why you-! Come on, Akamaru!" he shouted hopelessly, driving forward alongside the dog.

They didn't have enough energy for another Gatsuuga, much less the destructive Gatenga.

They swung out at Zabuza with exhausted Taijutsu, neither capable of keeping up with the man's movements as he ducked and parried their attacks with relative ease. Not even Sakura's joining in slowed the man down, and before they knew it, the group was once again sent flying away from the swordsman.

Akamaru whined as he attempted to climb back to his feet, only to crash back down on all fours, exhausted.

"Heh… looks like your mutt's had enough, eh brat?" Zabuza asked mockingly.

"Tch…!" Kiba grunted, feeling that he was on his own last legs as well. "Damn it…! Is this really as far as we can go…?"

Zabuza drove his knee upward into the Inuzuka's face, sending him flying into yet another puddle.

Kiba didn't get back up.

"That's two…" the mercenary murmured, turning his attention to the last one standing. "Feh, figures it'd be the kunoichi."

"You… I won't let you win…!" Sakura shouted, pulling up her last reserves of energy. "I won't…"

She ran forward, punching at the man angrily as he stepped back out of range. She quickly turned, attempting to backhand him across the cheek but he ducked, allowing her fist to simply draft overhead. Growling, she spun rapidly, using the momentum to drive her knee upward toward Zabuza's chin with greater force than usual, but that too was easily parried.

"Give it up girl. You've lost."

Zabuza's own knee was suddenly in her gut, and she croaked out in pain.

Stepping back, the man glared at her stoically, allowing her useless body crash to the wet ground.

"Hn. So in the end this is all you're good for huh?" he asked, glancing up toward the sky.

The rain still fell upon them rapidly, the sound of a great roar echoing overhead.

Zabuza took it as thunder.

"Guess that's it then." He muttered, pointing his blade down toward the earth, "Now then… which one of you brats should I finish off first? The mutt? The Inuzuka…? Or maybe…?"

He pointed his blade toward Sakura's face. She glared back at him, defiantly.

Sakura fingers twitched slightly, moving to grasp Zabuza by the ankle. She tightened her grip.

"I… won't… let you…"

Zabuza grinned, raising the blade over his head.

"Look like we have a winner."

He was just about to swing downward, ending the girl's life, when-

The wall of the building beside him shattered, a being of red and black pouring through and grabbing the mercenary by the face. Zabuza didn't even have time to register what had happened when he was suddenly being dragged through the concrete, his eyes wide in surprise and pain as the _thing_ carrying him roared, swinging him forward into another building.

Zabuza crashed through with surprising ease.

"_What the hell?"_ he managed to ask himself internally, slowly rising back to his feet as he stepped out of the rubble back into the rain, readying himself for another attack.

He glanced at the thing that had attacked him.

Glowing white eyes.

Flowing streams of red and black chakra.

And _nine_, yes, _nine_, snapping tails.

Not one.

Not four.

Not six.

But _nine_ tails.

Zabuza wasn't stupid. He knew what he was dealing with.

A picture of the blonde haired mop he'd left in the storage bay flashed through his mind, and he scowled.

"_That brat…?"_ he thought with a grunt, readying his Kubikiri, _"I should've made sure he was dealt with."_

The _thing_ opened its mouth –if it could be called that- and let loose a terrible scream that shook both Heaven and Earth.

**_You actually managed to piss me off, annoying squirt._**

Zabuza scowled, raising his blade for a swing but the monster was already upon him. It raised its giant claws, swiping at the man lazily.

Even that was more than enough to send him skidding through the earth. Zabuza lowered his blade lightly, glancing through one of the openings to gaze upon the creature.

"_That much force?!"_ he thought in surprise, _"And that was without even trying-! What would have happened if I hadn't blocked it-?"_

The creature screamed again, dashing forward, dragging its claw through the concrete before lunging at Zabuza again.

The mercenary grunted, swinging Kubikiri in a wide arc, but the creature was ready for it.

In a single bite, it snapped Kubikiribocho in two, sliding behind Zabuza as it gnashed the part of the blade it'd broken to pieces.

Zabuza's eyes went wide.

"_Impossible!"_

His eyes went wider when he realized he'd left his back exposed.

Cursing his slip up, he quickly turned around once more, seconds too late.

A _tail_ pierced his shoulder.

Another tore through his leg.

And another through the torso.

Zabuza gagged, blood escaping through his lips as the beast raised him up into the air. Its tails extended easily, as if they were nothing more than a chakra construct.

Zabuza knew that it was.

He was left there for several seconds, the creature just gazing upon him curiously, as if it were a child who had suddenly gotten a new toy.

**_What's the matter? Don't tell me a broken blade is enough to get your panties in a twist. Weren't you gonna KILL__ me?_**

It grinned, and Zabuza knew he was in for a world of hurt.

He was right.

The tails swung downward, and Zabuza was smashed into the ground with all the force of a bulldozer.

Again, blood flew from his lips.

"_No… I refuse to fall to some mindless beast!"_ he thought, tightening his grip on the remains of Kubikiri he held in his free arm.

He swung, severing the tails that pierced him from his limbs.

Or at least he tried to. The creature had pulled them back far too quickly.

Nonetheless, he was free.

He rolled over, attempting to gather his wits and sanity as the creature dashed about.

His time was up.

With a loud screech, the creature was upon him; its very touch burning his skin.

**_I'll have fun with you first._**

Zabuza let out a painful cry as he struggled to his feet, the creature wrapping around him as if it were some sort of coil.

There was no way a human body could twist in such a way.

And yet it did.

It had to have.

For Zabuza knew that the creature was Naruto Namikaze.

From her place on the pier Sakura twitched, watching the scene with wide eyes. She too knew of Naruto's little "predicament", it having been deemed mandatory if she were to protect the boy from any and all threats.

Kyuubi no Yoko.

The Nine-tailed fox.

A being of immense, if not infinite power, sealed into the blonde after his mother was no longer capable of being its host. It was one of the nine tailed beasts, and, as far as Sakura knew, the strongest. Capable of levelling entire mountains with a single swipe of its tail, and with the same swipe create great tsunamis.

All of that power, stuffed into a young boy.

Sakura knew the seal that had been used was designed to allow Naruto use of _some_ of its power, but she never expected to see a bloody monster with all nine tails dancing about, much less _coiling_ around Zabuza!

What was that going to do to Naruto's body?

She didn't even want to know.

But she did know one thing. The longer that monster was out, the stronger it got. And if Zabuza couldn't handle its initial appearance… she couldn't imagine how he'd handle it once the thing got _truly_ dangerous.

Zabuza let loose another bloodcurdling scream as the creature continued to press against him, searing burns into his heart and soul. The beast hissed, its –mouth- opened in a laughing grin as it pressed a claw down on the man's face.

Zabuza's scream rose a couple pitches as he smelt his burning skin. This creature, this _monster_, was cooking him alive. If he didn't do something, the mercenary didn't know how much longer he'd last.

So he did the only thing possible.

_Cut._

Again, the Kyuubi had left him with a free hand. And again, Zabuza had made use of it. Swinging his broken Kubikiri upward in a hurry, the man severed the creature's right arm, forcing it to uncoil and retreat for several seconds.

The claw on his face flopped around for several seconds, no longer connected to the creature's main body. Zabuza removed it hurriedly, turning back to face the creature.

It screamed at him, in what he thought was anger, at first.

But then…

It _grew_ another right arm, and showed it off _mockingly._

Zabuza cried a little on the inside.

After all, if the creature could grow back severed appendages… what did that mean for the _severed_ parts?

His eyes widened, and he glanced at the arm still in his possession.

It began to glow.

"Oh shi-"

A great explosion erupted from the arm, Zabuza having barely been able to avoid the main blast as he was sent hurling into the pier.

"_Gah!"_ the man thought, skidding across the smoking concrete as another bolt of lightning crossed the sky.

He glanced at the creature, its glowing white eyes the only thing visible in the dark storm.

"_At this rate I really will wind up dead!"_ he thought with a glare, smoke rising off his thoroughly singed body. _"If I don't find some way to deal with this brat…!"_ his eyes narrowed, landing on the awed pinkette watching the battle not far from them.

She was still wounded, weakened, easy to use.

Without a second thought Zabuza dashed forward, his target in sight.

The miniature Kyuubi hissed in rage at seeing the man run away, pursuing him with full intentions to torture the man further when it caught up.

It would be too late.

Not a second after reaching the girl did Zabuza heave her up, dragging her to her feet and placing the broken blade at her neck. He glared at the creature angrily, curious if it would stop or not.

It did.

Tilting its head mildly at Zabuza's action, the beast allowed its tails to flail about softly for several moments, gazing at the situation in front of it.

Sakura glared at the man holding her angrily, too exhausted and utterly _drained_ to attack him. She found herself glaring at the mad beast in front of them, its white eyes nothing like the cerulean blue she was used to.

Even so, the beast didn't move.

"_Don't tell me…"_ she thought, _"it recognizes me?"_

A small plume of smoke leapt from the beast's mouth, its insides burning with the desire to rip something to shreds. It gazed at Zabuza meaningfully.

He gazed back, Kubikiri's edge still poised toward Sakura's neck.

"Heh, even in this form, you're too much of a coward, Uzumaki!" he roared.

Bad move.

One of the beast's tails subtly pierced the ground behind it, traveling beneath the earth to get behind the target. Once it had, it wrapped around Zabuza's ankle tightly.

The man never even knew what hit him.

In seconds he was flung away from Sakura's body and Kubikiri, the girl taking it into her own hands as Zabuza was sent soaring toward the ocean.

He roared out in denial and rage, his smoking body crashing into the waves with a soft splash.

And he was gone.

Sakura stared at the creature before her.

It stared back.

"Naru-?"

Her sentence was cut off. In a soft, quick flash, another tail had wrapped Sakura around by the stomach and moved her aside, along with the unmoving Kiba and silent Akamaru. Its demands were simple.

**_Keep out of my way._**

Not paying the girl any mind, the creature stepped forward, gazing out at the ocean patiently. Its eyes narrowed every once and a while, but still, it sat, waiting.

Deep below the ocean surface, Zabuza stewed. His body was only just beginning to cool, and blood still poured from his skin due to the earlier wounds he'd been inflicted. He wriggled slightly, steeling himself as he began a long series of seals.

"_Tiger, Ox, Monkey, Rabbit, Ram, Boar, Ox, Horse, Monkey, Tiger, Dog, Tiger, Snake, Tiger, Ox, Monkey, Rabbit, Bird."_ He thought as he made each seal, surfacing only once he completed the set.

"**Water Release:**" he roared out valiantly as his body erupted from the water like a rocket, "**Giant Vortex Jutsu!**"

The second he finished speaking a great swirl of ocean water circled behind him, wrapping around like a waterfall before launching itself forth in the form of a great wave. It towered overhead, surprising even the miniature Kyuubi at its size and pressure.

The beast hissed angrily.

"_With this, you're finished!"_ Zabuza thought, adding another long set of seals as the wave neared.

"**Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!**"

From the depths of the large wave a twin pair of yellow eyes appeared, a great dragon made of water emerging from its being and rushing toward the Kyuubified Naruto quickly. Again, the beast hissed angrily, the water overtaking it before it had a chance to dodge.

It attempted to resist for several moments, but having only been out for a short time, it was incapable of producing enough strength to stand against the force of nature itself. It fell back as the great wave finally crashed against the pier, flooding it completely.

Zabuza landed gently, having ridden the technique back to shore.

He glanced at the monster curtly, glaring at its unmoving figure as it sat in a flooded pile of rubble.

"Is it finished…?" he murmured to himself quietly, panting at the sheer amount of chakra he'd needed to use to put a halt to the battle.

"Zabuza!" Sakura shouted from afar, having been conveniently placed atop a small roof just out the wave's range alongside Kiba and Akamaru.

"Hn…" the mercenary breathed, "So she's still around huh?"

Sakura attempted to take a step forward, intending to fight once more. Unfortunately, she hadn't quite finished recovering from her earlier injuries. She only took a step before falling back to one knee.

"Damn…! Even now?!" she thought aloud angrily, glaring at her own weakness.

She knelt down, pulling up whatever dregs of energy she had left to attempt healing herself.

Zabuza grunted, glancing back at the unmoving creature before him.

He had made a mistake last time.

He had left the blonde to fester, to grow.

And he had paid for it.

Kubikiri broken, his own body bloodied and impaled…

The boy needed to die.

Slowly, Zabuza approached the mass. The red and black chakra was quickly fading, and he could see the blonde's regular body begin to take shape.

All the wounds he had taken were gone.

Zabuza sped up. He didn't know why, but he felt it pertinent that he finish off the boy as quickly as possible.

He stopped just above, slowly reaching and grabbing a lone kunai from his uniquely shaped pouch.

"_Move… Move!_" Sakura hissed, but her body wouldn't respond.

It was no use.

Kiba and Akamaru were down, and she couldn't move. It was the end.

And as such, there was only one thing left to do.

"_**NARUUUUTOOOOO!**_"

Everything stopped.

And then, slowly, a fist shot upward.

It clipped Zabuza on the chin, knocking him back in surprise.

"I-Impossible-!"

Zabuza glared, and the blonde glared back.

_-PtK-_

"It's time we ended this, Zabuza."

The mercenary said nothing, glaring back at the blonde who now stood across from him. Did he remember everything that had happened? He certainly didn't look surprised, at any rate. A slow chuckle escaped Zabuza's lips.

"Ended it…?" he asked wryly, "Feh! The only thing being ended is you!"

He dashed forward, nothing but pure adrenaline urging him on. He swung his kunai out at Naruto, and the blonde moved just as fluidly, sidestepping the blow and driving his fist into the man's face.

Zabuza squawked, stumbling backwards in surprise.

His eyes swiveled about angrily.

Impossible. How was this greenhorn keeping up with him? It wasn't but a few minutes ago that he had been laying in a pool of his own blood?! So how? How?!

"_Zabuza…"_ Naruto thought quietly, ducking beneath another of the man's wild swings before delivering a sharp punch to the man's rib cage, knocking him off center. _"You may not realize this… but your body… it's already lost."_

The Demon of the Bloody Mist snarled in rage, sweeping past Naruto before doubling back, attempting to gut the boy from behind. Naruto was ready.

Quickly, he spun on his heel while swinging his leg upward in a soft motion, knocking his foot across Zabuza's right cheek.

"_Your movements are sluggish… filled with openings… at this point… even a newbie could defeat you."_ Naruto continued to think, examining Zabuza's stance quietly.

Blood continued to pour from the mercenary's wounds, his eyes gleaming dangerously as he glanced back at the blonde. Allowing his arms to hang down by his side uselessly, the man scowled.

"Feh… you must think you're hot stuff, don't you brat?" he asked warily.

"You should give up while you still have the chance, Zabuza." Naruto cautioned, "In your current state you wouldn't be able to defeat a child, let alone a full-fledged shinobi."

Zabuza chuckled, "We'll see about that. Until all my organs give out, there's no way I'll stop!"

Again he dashed forward, stopping just short of passing Naruto to kick out at the blonde's body angrily. Naruto leapt back lightly, just out of the kick's range before pulling in once more, delivering another sharp jab to the man's ribcage.

Zabuza grunted in pain at the blow, stumbling backward as Naruto punched him again.

But the blonde didn't stop there.

Quickly, while Zabuza was still caught in the motions, Naruto shot his knee upward, catching the man by the knee and sending him spiraling into the flooded ground.

Zabuza chortled with pain, steadily crawling back to his knees.

"So this is what it's come to…. But… I'm not finished yet Uzumaki!"

He stood once more.

And again, Naruto laid him back down.

Sakura couldn't help but watch in awe at the scene before her. She knew her best bet would be to wake Naruto, but she had no idea that the battle would take a turn for the better in such a way.

Zabuza was all but beaten!

Sure, it was undoubtedly due to the large help the Kyuubi had been, but who was she to complain?

She glanced down at her wounds, nearly healed from the medical chakra she'd been steadily applying.

"_Good… and then when I'm finished… I can jump in to help Naruto!"_ she thought quickly, steeling her determination as she gazed upon the battle.

Beside her, Kiba began to moan.

"What… What happened?" he grunted, leaning up and gripping his head in frustration.

"Zabuza knocked you out." Sakura explained. "Some things happened and now… Naruto's finishing him off."

"Wait… _what_?" Kiba couldn't help but ask. "I thought Naruto was… well… you know, dead?"

Sakura shook her head, pointing down to where the two were still fighting.

"As you can see," she explained to the teen, "he got better."

"Graugh!" Zabuza roared, snarling in pain as Naruto punched him away yet again.

"Tsk…" the blonde huffed, "Just hurry up and stay down already! You won't be able to keep fighting me in your current state!"

"Feh…!" Zabuza grunted, swiveling around and charging once more. "For all your talk, you're still just a naïve little greenhorn who's too afraid to kill!"

Naruto's eyes gleamed, and again he drove his fist into Zabuza's center. The man's knees buckled, but he did not fall.

"I wanted to." Naruto explained, "Kill you, that is. I wanted to… so much! In those few moments…" he murmured, referring to his time as Kyuubi, "making you suffer as much as possible was all I could think about. But that unbridled rage… that intense hatred I felt for you and everything you stood for… that… that wasn't me."

Zabuza said nothing as the blonde suddenly leapt away from him, reaffirming his stance as the merc glared on angrily.

"That's why," Naruto continued, raising his open palms in front of him, "I'll finish this my way, on my own terms! I'll defeat you… but I won't be the one to kill you, Zabuza!"

The assassin's teeth clenched in anger. Who did this runt think he was? Certainly, the man may have lost the use of his limbs, but that didn't mean that he was out of the battle just yet! He was the Demon of the Bloody Mist! It would take more than a few wounded appendages to defeat him!

Killing Intent rolled off his body like a storm, a purple beast seeming to appear behind him from the sheer pressure the man was giving off.

Naruto scowled.

So that was the true nature of the man standing before him. So that was the real Demon of the Bloody Mist.

He adjusted his stance, waiting for the man's inevitable charge.

He didn't have to wait long.

With a sudden snarl Zabuza leapt forth, his eyes gleaming madly in the dark sky as he continued to rip and tear at Naruto futilely. Still, he was unable to land a blow.

It was impossible, in his current state.

As much as he loathed to admit it, the blonde was right. He'd taken too much damage when faced against that _thing_ the boy had turned into. He was running on little more than fumes.

Naruto however seemed to be back in full force. His wounds were healed, and his limbs safe and sound. It was like he was fresh out the emergency room, and it pissed Zabuza off to no end.

"Graugh!" the man snarled as the blonde's foot came crashing down atop his head, smacking him into the ground below.

Zabuza heard the blonde land behind him, and he quickly turned his gaze to follow, finding himself looking at the boy's back.

"_There!"_ he thought, leaping back to his feet and rushing the boy from behind.

Naruto smirked.

Zabuza's eyes gleamed in glee as he felt the kunai connect, and he ripped through the boy's torso with ease. He panted softly, watching the blonde stumble around in confusion before finally falling into the dirt…

_As a log._

The mercenary's eyes widened.

"_Substitution?!"_ he thought, glancing around wildly for any sign of his opponent, _"But when?!"_

"The moment you hit the ground." Naruto answered, seeing the man's obvious confusion. "Like I said Zabuza… you can't beat me in your current state. And now… I'm tired of playing around with you. It's time we wrapped this up."

"!"

Zabuza watched in shock as the blonde suddenly appeared before him; his eyes focused and palms wide. Chakra rolled off his body lazily, and in that moment, Zabuza thought he finally saw his own death.

Naruto plunged his chakra-carrying palm forward, slamming it into the depths of Zabuza's chest.

"**Kawazu Tataki!**" he roared.

The same technique he'd learned from Jiraiya. The same one he showed to Sakura earlier in the day.

The blonde made sure to use enough chakra.

It wouldn't do to make a fool of himself at the end after all.

Zabuza's chest _rippled_, and then…

The man's head shot back in pain as blood shot out from numerous parts of his body, Naruto's attack having attacked him from the inside out. His eyes glazed over for a brief moment, his legs giving out as he crashed to the ground on his back, no longer capable of moving.

He gagged in pain for several brief seconds.

Naruto panted softly as he rose back to his full height, staring at the defeated form of his opponent cautiously before taking a single step back to support himself.

It seemed he may have put a bit _too_ much chakra into the technique for once, as opposed to not using enough.

Well, as long as it worked out in the end, he supposed.

"Naruto!"

He could idly hear Sakura and Kiba land behind him.

It was good to know they were safe and well. He'd been curious, especially after seeing only bits and pieces of his time as that _thing_. He didn't know what had happened to them.

"Eh…? Sakura? So you're still alive…." He murmured softly, "That's… That's good… How's… How's Sora?"

He fell back, allowing himself to be caught by the pinkette as she leaned him down gently.

"Sora's fine. Everyone is!" she told him, running his hands over him softly as medical chakra flowed from her hands, "You… You saved everyone…"

"Good… Good." The blonde muttered, glancing back over at the unmoving form of Zabuza. "Listen… I need you to do me a favor…."

"H-Huh?" Sakura asked, leaning away from him for a brief moment. "What is it?"

Naruto grimaced, sitting up as he continued to gaze at Zabuza's form.

"I need you to heal Zabuza."

"What?!" Kiba interrupted, "Why?! You only just got finished beating the guy! Now you want to heal him?!"

"You don't have to heal him all the way," Naruto clarified, "just enough so he'll be able to talk. There's something we still need from him, and the sooner we get it the better. So, Sakura…?"

The pinkette frowned at him, closing her eyes in deep thought as she pulled her hands back. After a moment, she opened her mouth to speak.

"It's, only enough for him to speak, right?" she asked again, wanting confirmation from the blonde's lips before proceeding any further, "You won't need him to move beyond that?"

"Yeah…" Naruto confirmed, nodding his head once, "I don't want to give him any chances to escape, or start fighting again. And Kiba, do you think you can go grab Sora and Haku, wherever those two are? I want to make sure that wave didn't wash them away somewhere we can't reach."

"Eh?" Kiba grimaced, "Don't think I'm one you can just bark orders to Uzumak-" he cut himself off, the terrible glare Sakura gave him more than enough to make him move, "I mean… sure. But you want me to find that masked guy too? I mean, Sora I can understand, but…"

"Just do it." Naruto sighed, watching Sakura move beside Zabuza and begin restoring his consciousness. "Besides, Haku didn't kill us the first time he won, so we shouldn't leave him to die the first time we beat him."

"Keh…haha…." Zabuza croaked with laughter, Sakura's work evidently doing its job, "Haku always was too soft… Yeah… even here, he didn't just fight for me…" his eyes curled, and he stared over at the blonde watching him cautiously, "he fought for you guys too. He was… too kind for this kind of job."

"Perhaps." Naruto muttered, paying Zabuza's words no mind.

He didn't want to hear about Haku, but the mercenary did bring them to the topic of interest.

"Speaking of your job, Zabuza… the Demon Brothers said they got their orders from Dead Drops throughout the city. Was it the same in your case, or…?" Naruto trailed off.

Zabuza laughed some more.

"The Demon Brothers? Heh… Those morons… they told you all that did they? I always knew they had… loose lips."

"Zabuza-!"

"Heh… yeah, sorry to tell you brat… but I was the one who gave Gozu and Meizu the Dead Drops."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, "Eh? It was you-?!"

"Heh… yeah, my employer said they couldn't bother to get involved with such low-ranking scum… he left it to me to handle all the assassination contracts."

Sakura frowned, stepping away from the man at that.

"So you _do_ have an employer…" she murmured softly, "Jiraiya-sama thought that might have been the case."

"Who is it?" Naruto scowled.

"You would like to know, wouldn't you?" Zabuza grunted, "What're you gonna do? Run him down and make him pay for all the hits he's put out on you in the name of the Akatsuki? Heh… just as always… you're still naïve. Do you really think that'll stop anything? They'll just send someone else. Someone better."

"Maybe so." The blonde agreed, "But that'll take time, resources. And if I can gain even a few extra moments because I take an enemy threat out now… then I'll do it. So, give me a name, Zabuza."

"Hn… that look in your eye… it's the same one I had in mine when I was younger. But by the time I was your age I had already killed someone, multiple people…"

"I know." Naruto nodded again, "You "Graduation" Exam… you killed all your classmates."

"Heh… so you know about that too…" Zabuza grunted, "Maybe you weren't as ignorant as I thought you were after all…." He glanced up toward the sky, feeling each drop of rain fall upon him softly. "Very well. I'll give you the name you're so desperate for…."

Naruto leaned forward slightly, waiting to hear the name of the man who'd been sending people after him thus far.

"The name of my… employer…" Zabuza coughed, "is… Gato."

Gato.

The name rolled of Zabuza's tongue, easily recognized by all those present.

"Gato…" Naruto murmured, his eyes going wide in surprise, "You don't mean, Gato of the Gato Shipping Company?!"

Zabuza's eyes gleamed eagerly.

"The one in the same kid."

"But… he's a civilian isn't he?!" Sakura asked, "I had run background checks on everyone important before I came here, and there was nothing showing he had shinobi relations!"

"Heh… how do you think his shipping industry got as big as it did squirt?" Zabuza laughed hoarsely, "He's been running a smuggling organization on the side, making use of mercenaries and nukenin to get his products to their destinations faster than thought possible. It's no surprise Akatsuki found out and wanted in…."

"Gato…." Naruto muttered, "So he's the one."

Kiba slowly ran back towards them, carrying an unconscious Haku and Sora in both arms.

"Hey! I got em!" he shouted, "They nearly got washed away in that last technique, but they're both still alive!"

"Kiba…" Naruto murmured, turning his attention to the Inuzuka as Zabuza's chuckling died down.

"That's… good."

_-Five Hours Later-_

Naruto sat quietly, gazing at the ceiling of his bedroom as the storm continued to rage outside. Zabuza and Haku… they were gone. Some may have called it a foolish move on Naruto's part, but he let them go. There was no reason to keep them around, not when they had outed Gato as their employer.

They'd deal with him soon enough.

Sighing, the boy turned on his side, adjusting himself in his bed as the door to the room cracked open slightly.

The sound of a person seating themselves by the bedside didn't surprise him at all.

"Naruto…" Sakura greeted softly, frowning at the small look the blonde gave her in return, "…are you doing okay?"

Naruto leaned up slightly, his blue eyes studying Sakura's carefully as he formed a response.

"Yeah. That medical technique of yours is really something, Sakura-chan." He replied slowly, frowning only once he leaned out of the covers. "Listen… if you're here to berate me over my decision about Zabuza-"

Sakura shook her head gently, setting her hand on top of his.

"Don't. I'm not here about that. I only came to check up on you, and make sure you were feeling okay. Especially after…" she trailed off, memories of the rampant Kyuubi running through both their minds.

Naruto's hand clenched beneath hers, slightly.

"How long have you known?" he asked curiously, unable to gauge her expression.

Her head tilted downward, her hands tightening around his own ever so slightly.

"Since the beginning." She revealed, "They thought it'd be important… in case you ever…." She let the rest go unspoken.

"I see…. It felt good at the time you know," the blonde admitted, his eyes narrowing much to Sakura's surprise, "to give in to all that rage. At that time… I don't think I would've even minded dying… if it meant I'd be able to kill Zabuza."

His eyes gleamed.

"Naruto." Sakura spoke softly, snapping him out of it.

He glanced over at her momentarily, a small, reassuring smile pulling at his lips.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan… that isn't how I feel now. But still… all that energy…" he glanced back at her, curiosity driving his next question onward.

"Does Kiba know?"

Sakura shook her head in the negative.

"No… he was unconscious during the entire thing… and Akamaru… I don't think he completely knew what was going on…."

"I see." Naruto thought sadly. "Should I tell him then…?"

Sakura's hands clenched tighter.

Kiba…

Kiba deserved to know.

Despite his initial appearance as an "enemy", of sorts, he had proven himself time and again to be a capable companion. Sakura doubted she would have been able to defeat Haku if it hadn't been for his assistance.

Yes.

Kiba deserved to know.

But at the same time…

He was loud, brash, arrogant… would he really be capable of keeping such a heavy secret? And more importantly, how would he react to knowing the _real_ reason the Akatsuki were trying to eliminate Naruto?

Her fingers tightened around the blonde's hands, her eyes narrowing as she made her decision.

"Eventually…" she spoke quietly, "but not yet."

"Not yet?" Naruto questioned.

"Not yet." Sakura repeated, "Just wait a while… just a little longer… until then…."

"…we keep it our little secret?" Naruto tried to joke.

"Yes." Sakura nodded, her eyes glistening slightly.

"Our little secret."

* * *

_-Chapter Seven-_

* * *

_**END**_


End file.
